UK Travel Guide

Many thanks to Eleanor and the whole team for creating a detailed, bespoke itinerary for our last minute trip to London, Wales, and the Cotswolds. Every step of the way went flawlessly. Even when we disembarked at the wrong train station in rural Wales (totally self-inflicted mistake), a quick phone call to the travel agency, set everything right within minutes. A driver showed up out of nowhere to save the day so that our misstep was a mere blip. The accommodations were charming and the dining recommendations were spot-on. Our days were filled with memorable experiences, from a backstage tour of the spectacular Tottenham Hotspurs stadium, to theatre tickets in Soho, to the wild green hilltops of Pembrokeshire, to the picturesque beach town of Newport, to the standing stones of Pentre Ifan, to Skomer island with its thousands of nesting puffins, to the tour of Oxford University - the pacing of the journey was just perfect!   I have no words to describe the natural beauty of Wales and the Cotswolds. Special commendations for the hotels in Newport and Cotswolds for locations and  excellent hospitality. We had delightful meals - especially the unique outdoor bar at the Secret Garden behind the hotel in Newport, the prix-fixe dinner at the Tides in Newport and the Sunday roast at the Old Parsonage near Oxford. We thoroughly enjoyed our Welsh tour guides and their charming dog, Mabli. This was a highlight for me, personally.  At one point, we pulled over to admire the beautiful Pembrokeshire landscape slopping down to the sea and were approached by the sweetest half-wild Welsh pony! This magical creature joined several family photos I will treasure forever!Our days in the Cotswolds were delightfully picturesque and relaxing. So many interesting shops, beautiful hikes and well-behaved dogs!On the final leg of our journey, we had a private driver for a tour of Oxford University and the surrounds. Our very personable guide, was a treasure-trove of history and lore that greatly enriched our experience of Oxford.To top it off, our travel agent, Eleanor, exceeded all of our expectations in planning and communication. Not only was the tour itself exactly what we hoped for, but her writing is delightful!  The written itinerary was lovely in its descriptions. We savored each day in anticipation and will save the itinerary to remember our tour all the more vividly.

My husband and I had an excellent anniversary trip and were able to explore London, the Cotswolds, and Wales. Having never been out of the country, and after saving up enough money to finally go, I wanted to ensure the trip went well, so I decided to contact a professional agency who would know the best places to stay and things to do. 

We started in London in Sloane Square, which had us conveniently next to the underground. We visited Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Kensington, and Hampton Court Palace. I did most of the research about where we were going to eat, and we did one night at a three Michelin star restaurant; Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.  So if I could suggest one improvement, it would be for the travel specialists to ask about dining preferences so bookings could be made in time. We had also wanted to do tea at The Savoy, and dinner at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, but it was all booked by the time we looked. But that is my only complaint.All of our accommodations were wonderful with excellent staff attending to our every need. At our hotel in the Cotswolds, they even provided us with boots to walk in the muddy terrain.  

At our hotel in Wales we had the cutest room, with a wonderfully large bath tub to soak in after walking all day.  The hotel in Narberth was likely our favorite hotel of them all, and we wished we had skipped going to Bath and done an extra night at Narberth. 

I think I would skip Bath next time, as we are a more outdoorsy hiking sort of couple, and we would have stayed in Wales to hike more routes. It also felt very rushed to just to one night in a single location. That being said, the accommodation at the hotel was absolutely gorgeous.our final location was in Berkshire, which used to be a Tudor hunting lodge. Our dinner at The Tudor Pass was absolutely divine. However, our room was a bit dusty with cobwebs, and some of the pillows had hair from possible previous guests. That being said, the room layout itself was wonderful. 

Backtracking, once we got out of London, our travel specialist arranged a car rental for us, which went very smoothly. Having a car to travel at our leisure versus needing to time train stops and tube stops, was wonderful. 

Overall, we had a wonderful trip, and wish that it did not have to end.

The trip was fantastic - all that I hoped it would be.  I like to say that it was very well planned and very well executed!

I'd wanted to go to England for a long time.  I spent many hours working on itineraries, planning where to go and what to see.  When it came time to finalize things and book hotels, etc., I suddenly felt over my head.  That's when I discovered Zicasso on the internet.  

Zicasso quickly reviewed my needs and set me up with this travel company.  My travel planner talked extensively with me about my planned itinerary and helped me modify it.  As we did not want to rent a car, He put together a combination of private and public transport.  The drivers he booked for us were exceptional; full of information, courteous, prompt, and easy to talk to. My travel planner found and booked all our lodgings and also had tickets for all the places we wanted to visit. He gave me contact numbers in case we had any problems.  We did not.  Everything went very smoothly.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the places we visited; Bath, the Cotswolds, Oxford, Dover, and London.  Touring the Cotswolds with our driver and then spending a day walking from one village to another on the Public Footpaths was fantastic - quintessential English countryside.  The trip out into the Channel to see the White Cliffs of Dover was another very memorable day. Our serendipitous moment came when we met a man in the "Channel Swimmer's Pub"  who was celebrating a successful Channel swim.  He was from Boston (right in our backyard.)

All of our guides and drivers were excellent; friendly, informative, and skilled.  I would not be hesitating in recommending all of them.

Our lodgings were just fine.  The breakfast in Dover was exceptional, served with friendly conversation with the owner.

I read a couple of non-fiction books on Queen Victoria and also some historical novels about England before we left.  We also watched some Great Courses on the history of London.  All of that background knowledge really helped make the trip come alive.

So, well done. You did a great job and I truly appreciate all the work and effort you put in to make this trip the fabulous one it was.