Albatross Tour Reviews

Global Journeys were excellent to deal with, Hannah was there to answer the dozens of questions we asked of her. We experienced a safe and pleasant tour with Albatross, but regrettably had some issues. Although it was our choice to travel in September, is it not the best time to tour the Alps and Austrian Lakes because of the declining weather conditions. ...read more Berchtesgaden and Hitler's Eagles nest was a disappointment owing to the of the inclement weather. On the Island of Mainau shrubs and blooms were not at they best coming to the end of the season, also lots of mosquitoes owing to the damp conditions. The tour director was knowledgeable in European and local history, and quite reserved. Found he was not mindful of the slower walkers of the group, often proceeding ahead, causing concerns to them when having to cross junctions and intersections, remembering to be aware of the change of traffic directions in Europe. All the hotels were of good standard, the Kirchberge Hof was excellent in all aspects of service. The NH Salzburg, failed to accommodate all guests at breakfast. The included dinner on our arrival was abysmal with poor service. The Frankfurt Hilton was most accommodative, allowing to access to our room prior to the 2.00pm booking in time. Albatross includes the cost of excursions in the overall price, not such a good idea, as not all excursions suited everyone, there is no recompense if an excursion wasn't taken. We declined two walking tours so lost out. During a wine tasting which was included in a full day excursion, there was no alternative drink offered to the 'non wine drinkers' therefore felt totally excluded. The farewell dinner was a let down, not only was the meal less than average, group arrived at 7.00pm but were required to take our leave by 9.00pm. Some sort of evening entertainment/event or tour may have been a good option. No, would not use Albatross Tours again.

This tour was absolutely fabulous. Unlike other tour companies that we have travelled with, there were no 'optional extras' which is an utter pain in the neck as in other companies which we have travelled with, their itineraries of their tours casually gloss over the fact and do not display the cost of these optional extras. Albatross included everything ...read more and it was a pleasure to be able to spend 2 or 3 days at each place enabling us to get a real feel of the area and actually to remember it better than if we had arrived one night and left the next morning. Although living in Perth, it was probably easier dealing online with Georgie at Global Journeys than going into a local high street agency. I could (and did on occasion) ring Georgie if I needed to clarify anything. We have booked two tours now with Global Journeys and I can thoroughly recommend them. They offer a cheaper price than that advertised by the tour company as well. The service was prompt and at no time did we have to chase Georgie for information about our intended tour. Our next tour is in the pipeline and we will be travelling with Albatross and doing all our bookings through Global Journeys. (GJ. Thanks heaps Antonette!)

We really enjoyed our holiday and so glad you suggested the Italian Grande to us. Having a few days in different locations made it much more relaxing than packing up and moving on every day or second day, though with all the sightseeing that was packed in it was fairly busy. Scenery in Italy is spectacular and we got to see a great cross section of ...read more the country with a wonderful very experienced guide who kept us organised and well informed all the way. I really liked her and her knowledge and story telling was incredible. The hotels were mostly up to expectations though a couple could be reviewed but we mentioned this in our feedback to Albatross. What was great, was having so much included in the price and very few optional extras. We were lucky to have a very pleasant group of people, all Aussies and only 19 of us so that was nice. Weather too was perfect most of the time. The highlights were the smaller places like the hilltop towns of San Gimingano and Ravaello, wonderful shopping but not enough time in these places!!!! Though of course Florence , Venice and Rome are just fabulous but getting very busy with tourists by June. All and all a wonderful holiday and booking with you at Global Journeys the only way to go. Thank you so much for all your very efficient and kind attention again. Looking forward to planning the next trip after a lazy holiday in Thailand in Sept.

Michelle was great to deal with. She was in contact regularly, things were organised quickly. I believe she gave us the best deals possible. It was easy and all came together beautifully.

The Italy Deep south and Sicily tour is not for the faint-hearted, and one has to be quite fit and sure on one's feet. There is a lot of steep walking on uneven surfaces - more so than we have encountered on any tour before. In particular in Matera, staying in the caves - an interesting experience, but you have to be prepared for no shower, an open ...read more bathroom, no lighting apart from candles, and limited lamps in holes in the wall, very uneven flooring (limestone cobblestones), and steps wherever you go - either up or down. At Mt Etna one has to be realistic about one's fitness also, as once the walk is started, there's no turning back, and it's steep and slippery. The decision to stay in the café and wait for the group should be made realistically. There are a lot of ruins, not as many churches and cathedrals. The food is good, and plentiful, but there is a very different way of serving a meal over there, with plates of food coming thick and fast, with little or no explanation. All up, very enjoyable.

The Black Forest & Tyrol tour with Albatross was a wonderful experience. Spending 3 & 4 nights in each town was good, even though it did mean back tracking a few km on some days. As the coach travel time was not long on any day, this wasn't a problem for us. The tour was not a cheap one but the inclusions meant that we hardly had to spend on extras. ...read more We would definitely travel with Albatross again.

Overall, the tour was fantastic. Our tour guide was great. She was very knowledgeable and provided interesting historical and other background information which enhanced the overall experience. She was also very diligent and proficient in her organisational duties and as a result we had no 'issues' whatsoever. The hotels very good to very plush (Palace ...read more Hotel Lucerne). Food was excellent. The coach driver (Sasha) was very capable and helpful. Our fellow travelers proved to be a somewhat diverse but great crowd. We all got along famously which also contributed significantly to the experience. Finally, the weather could not have been better.

The tour was exactly what we had wished, covering all of the tourists areas and gave us a mixture between group excursions and our own time, not just hours but free days and nights. Everything was covered in the cost as the brochure explained, no hidden traps or extras that weren't precisely explained prior to booking. Detailed planning, comfortable ...read more first class coaches and thorough security of belongings and double counting guest numbers, felt completely secure and taken care of. We are very happy and would defintely recommend and use Albatross Tours and Global Journeys again. My consultants through Global Journeys were precise and efficient, kept me informed and up to date every step of the booking process until my journey commenced even with a email wishing me a safe and pleasant holiday and one on my return, lovely personal touches.

We had a wonderful time on our Albatross White Christmas tour in December 2013. We were on the first tour bus with Maritza as our guide who was absolutely brilliant. Her local knowledge was second to none, but not only that, the extra care and thoughtfulness that she took with all of us on the tour was excepetional - I have been on 4 other coach tours ...read more in my life, and she was by far the most outstanding tour guide. I would have NO hesitation in recommending the Albatross group (and Global Jorneys) to anyone. Hannah from Global Journeys made the booking process very smooth and easy ...many thanks for that. As for the actual tour, I would advise people with their hearts set on lots of snow to look into a Switzerland tour instead - Austria is a bit too risky that early in the snow season to guarantee snow. We only had a small amount of older snow, and didn't get snowed on once in 7 weeks! The quality of the hotels, service, meals and coach were all great. The company are also fantastic in that they allowed children on the tour - not many do. Everyone on the coach were very friendly and patient with our kids, and it all went smoothly.

The tour was fantastic and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to experience what Spain and Portugal has to offer. Albatross has done a fantastic job with hotel selection and intinerary.

The Italian Grande tour exceeded my expectations. The concept of long stays in nearly all locations was wonderful and allowed a little free time to personally explore. It would be difficult to name one particular location as the highlight as each area had its own special memory. The accomadation was excellent along with the dining. The farm visit to ...read more experience traditional life and food was most interesting. It would be difficult to experience so much of Italy independantly. The fabulous locations from the Italian Lakes down to the Amalfi Coast and so much in between. The atmosphere was enhanced by our amazing Tour Manager Antonia Scetta, warm, considerate, humourous and informative. A wonderful group of fellow travellers who shared and enjoyed our 18 day adventure.

Had a wonderful time. Loved the variety of activities e.g. travelling by train and boat. We both thought our Tour Manager Antonia was excellent.

This was our first ever tour for my husband and I and we are extremely happy to say we hit the jackpot. We booked with Georgie Walpole from Global Journeys the 'Italian Grande' with Albatross Tours. It was the best decision we ever made. Every email I sent to Georgie with multiple questions I had, was answered immediately and very professionally. As ...read more far as the tour, Albatross go to great lengths to make sure you have the time of your life and everything from the tour manager, the bus driver, the accommodation, meals and of course the places you visit, are just fantastic. I liked the fact that this tour was leisurely paced and just about everything is included which makes it easy to budget for as there is no hidden extras. Also the fact that this tour only had a maximum of 30 people and was geared for Australian and New Zealand people and we had the very best of people on our tour, everyone of them. I would not hesitate to recommend Global Journeys (and in fact did so to the other people on the tour) to book your wonderful adventure with, and as for Albatross Tours, do yourself a huge favour and book, you will be so happy that you did, believe me. Very happy customers.

The tour covered the key tourist locations and sites and provided an excellent appreciation of Italy's culture and history, from the Swiss/Italian lakes down to the Amalfi coast. We particularly enjoyed the multiple night stays in each location (cuts down the packing and unpacking of cases and especially late arrival evenings and early morning starts). ...read more The tour was well paced and never boring. The included meals were more than adequate. Having never been to Italy before, we had 4 extra nights in Rome at the end of the tour - that was a good decision and I would recommend it to others. We got on well with others in the tour group (all Aussies but us!). Being from a range of locations and backgrounds also made it interesting and there was a very social atmosphere. In fact we are still having email conversations with some of them. The tour leader was first class. She provided information on each location and was very well organised (confirming hotel accommodation, daily timetable of activities etc, arranging transport by boat and train, providing maps). The coach driver was excellent. The tour ran smoothly from start to finish. Despite the arrangements being made remotely with Global Journeys everything went smoothly and worked out well (sorry about the changes in timing and extra nights accommodation requested, but thanks to Frances and Hannah there were no problems). I appreciate the effort of Global Journeys in making the arrangements for us to participate in this very enjoyable tour. This was our first packaged tour and from this experience I would be very happy to go on future tours with Albatross Tours with the help of Global Journeys.

The Albatross Tour this time was a little disapointing. It started off well but as the tour progressed, the accomodation was not 4 star more like 3 star or less. The hotels were located in reasonable locations, but our accomodation in Autun was very ordinary. The hotel should have been located near Dijion. Our tour guide was just OK and when she got ...read more sick during our trip, we did not get a replacement. the poor driver had to do both. I do like the small group though and the guaranteed departures. We will think twice before taking another Albatross tour.

I thought this trip was well balanced. I loved staying in the smaller Italian towns rather than the big cities.

All went well, overall a great tour. Great guide who went that extra mile. I have recommended Albatross tours to others already, and will let them know about Global Journeys and our Tour Consultant, Yvonne.

This tour was brilliant we saw so much and experienced so many sights beyond our wildest dreams. The places we stayed at were charming with character and the service we received was always a hearty welcome, we loved it. Food! Oh my gosh. Brilliant and the variety and freshness was superb. Albatross Tours has got it together and thank you Global Journeys ...read more for being our Travel Agent. Professional, prompt and really easy to book with. Thank you so much for making this trip so memorable. Full of cheer!

Really enjoyed the tour. Tour guide very knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble for her. Great to have 2/3/4/5 stays at hotels and plenty of free time such as free afternoons and evenings and one whole day in the middle of tour. Our only consideration for Albatross was that at some hotels the standard of rooms differed considerably and we feel ...read more that all should have same standard. Yvonne at Global Journeys was excellent with her help planning tour.

Having taken other coach tours, it was delightful to be on a tour that only had 20 passengers, all of whom were Aussies. They were a great group and we all got on really well. Being a small group we had plenty of space to spread out on our very comfortable new coach. Our tour guide, Tina, was a genteel English lady, extremely knowledgable and we all ...read more felt like her 'children' as she constantly ensured we were all safely gathered together, which can't be an easy job. She always gave advice on recommended restaurants on the few nights when we didnt have meals provided. The tour itself was lovely, although I think everyone on it agreed that perhaps we could have done with more free time and this has been reported back to Albatross in the company's comments sheet by most on the tour. It was great to have 3 and a couple of times, 4 nts in wonderful hotels with yummy meals provided. Of course a big bonus with Albatross is the inclusion of all tours and gratuities in the price of the holiday, so we weren't faced with choosing tours to suit our budget and budget for extra costs at the end of the holiday. We had some brilliant extras, like cruising the Calanques in France and also the Cinque Terre in Italy. Wonderful. So, with regard Albatross as a touring company, we would certainly recommend them to your clients. I don't believe they are a well-known company but perhaps that's a good thing. Word of mouth is the best recommendation. So, now to Global Journeys. Georgie, we can't fault the handling of our holiday arrangements through Global Journeys and thank you personally for your assistance in both booking the flights and the holiday itself. It all went very smoothly.