DELETE Southern England Explorer: 10-Day Countryside and Coastline

We had an absolutely amazing time in England, thanks to Zicasso's travel specialist. We had the opportunity to visit the countryside in Sussex, walk in the Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh, visit the coast, pass through Wimbledon, and finish off in London. The trip was perfectly planned and well-paced. They really listened to our intentions and made great recommendations with regard to lodging, tours, and food. 

Every hotel had beautiful grounds and views. We had asked for hotels that also had the ambiance of age and antiquity. One of our favorites was in Chelsea. The staff was especially warm and friendly. We felt very comfortable with everyone! We loved all of the rooms in the entry level. It was cozy and beautiful, even the patio.

The Broadway hotel really blew us away. It was built in 1300 or so. It has an outstanding courtyard and landscaping. The staff were flexible. Theye even helped me to find a secluded area for dinner the last evening. We were mesmerized by every sitting area. There were antiques everywhere; I should say ancient antiquities. The coastal hotel was nautical and charming. There were lovely staff there as well! The views of the estuary were stunning. At high tide, the river came right up to the outdoor patio. It was mesmerizing!

Another hotel was very pretty inside and had compelling views of gardens and sweeping lawns. It overlooked the Jurassic coast, as well as a very large beach and piers. It was very far to walk and straight downhill. We could not get any taxi or bus to get to the harbor for our boat ride, sadly. We tried walking, but it was too far. There was no taxi for the return trip either. We had to walk up steep steps and then along a winding garden path back to the top. It was very stressful for me because I have a damaged tendon in my ankle, which hurt me quite a lot. It was very disappointing. However, my husband was thrilled that I made it up the hill. So was I.

There was a mix-up at the hotel about our room. We had discussed with our agent that we needed rooms on the ground floors. They had us on the first floor and moved us at the last minute to a very small corner room with cheap furniture and no space for two people to maneuver. We were both appalled, but fortunately our agent was able to take our call and we ended up in an apartment instead. It had no view other than of parked cars, but it was spacious and modern. It was the best they could do. This hotel was located in Lyme Regis.

Our next stop was Henley on Thames. The hotel was very nice and the two was pretty, but we didn’t arrive until 4.30. There was no Sunday dinner, so went elsewhere. Then we left the next morning at 9.30. The river was lovely to view.

We had fantastic drivers and driver guides throughout London, the Cotswolds, Cornwall, and Dorset back to London.

We missed our tour of Westminster Abbey due to the time change and lack of sleep. Our concierge tried his best to arrange for us to visit it on our last day. I called our travel company and was given the ticket number by email. Westminster Abbey declined because the company it was purchased through refused to confirm it. We were again disappointed. I tried calling the travel company back, left a message for help, but never got a return call.

We may go back again, but I would arrange for someone to meet me at the airport with a wheelchair. I would have been less stressed. That airport was overwhelming and confusing.

I sincerely wished that we did not have the Chelsea Flower Show and Windsor Castle on the same day. I could hardly walk by the end. Our agents offered to change Windsor to a different day, but it was an additional £350 or so. That seemed very unfair.

Zicasso's trip planner worked with my family for the better part of a year planning our big family trip. She provided exceptional service and planned every detail of our trip. We have a large family, with lots of moving parts. There were many changes in the itinerary along the way and she rolled with all the many changes. She was always polite, courteous, and graceful in her many interactions with our family.

She listened carefully during our initial conversations to help us plan the best trip possible. Being a large family, with multiple generations, she really created the best possible experience, taking in everyone's wishes. Working with her was very relieving, knowing she was taking care of all the details.

Our family's trip took us from the States to Ireland, Scotland, and England. We traveled on planes, trains, ferry, and drove a car. Our trip planner arranged every detail meticulously. We stayed in lovely, quaint, boutique hotels, ate the most wonderful foods, saw the amazing sights, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites across all three countries. From the Cliffs of Moher to the Culloden Moor Memorial to Stonehenge to castles grand and desolate; from beautiful cathedrals to old abbey ruins; from little country pubs to Michelin-starred restaurants; and even spending a couple days in an actual 17th-century castle, every minute was amazing! Truly amazing!

After working with Zicasso-matched travel companies in the past, I expected a worry-free and bespoke experience with this tour operator. My requests were not out of the ordinary in any way. I had wanted to explore the Cotswolds, visit Stonehenge, and then spend a couple of days in London. I had expressed that in London I was interested in seeing Abbey Road, spending a day on Military History for my son, and then a day exploring London neighborhoods and neighborhood bakers for me.

The tour operator planned transportation for us to and from the Cotswolds, a bike tour in Oxford, and a punting trip, and then two guided days in London (including a tour of the Churchill War Rooms that I had requested). In the weeks leading up to the trip, I had received a more detailed itinerary, and it was clear that days in London were not planned to specifications and were very generic offerings. And there was no effort made to accommodate my request to see Abbey Road (basically, I would be left to squeeze it in on my own). I emailed my disappointment to the tour operator, and they assured me that they would make changes to allow for my desire to explore neighborhoods and bakeries. I also wanted to get to London earlier and remove a stop in Bath and was charged a change fee (to remove something, six weeks in advance?)

Upon our arrival at Heathrow, our transportation was not onsite, which is fine; however, there was no one tracking our flight and no proactive notification that our transportation would not be able to meet us. I had to contact the tour operator's emergency line (which was very helpful).

Our second morning (Saturday), while still jet-lagged, we were up and ready to meet our driver at 9:15 in front of our hotel to take us to the train station a few towns away. Our driver was 10 minutes late, with no proactive contact to let us know that he was on his way. Then, later that day, once we were in Oxford for our bike tour, the tour company was not expecting us and did not have bikes ready for us. (Another group was there and were the only ones expected.)

The next morning (Sunday), we were told to be ready and checked out of our hotel by 9:00 a.m. for a driver to take us to see Stonehenge. At ten after 9:00, I contacted the after-hours number to inquire as to why the driver was not there. At 9:30, the tour operator still could not get in contact with the driver and recommended that I try to find a taxi to take me 2 hours away to Stonehenge. Needless to say, it was impossible to find someone at the last minute on a Sunday morning during high season. (Sidenote: a number of guests were being met by their drivers, on time, at our hotel. So, not an impossible ask.) Finally, after waiting for 3 hours, we were met by another driver who drove us to London directly. We wasted our morning (and because we had checked out of our hotel, we basically sat with our bags in the lobby) and never saw Stonehenge.

When we were in London, while our guide was a lovely person, we were asked to figure out our own way to meet her (instead of being met) and she did not have any particular knowledge about Military History (when we were in the Guards Museum, another guide was there with his party and it was clear, again, that it was not an impossible ask to have a guide with such knowledge). Also, it was clear to me that our guide, who would be guiding us for the following day, was not briefed or prepared to give a tour of neighborhood bakeries. (She thought I wanted to see a blue door in Notting Hill that was highlighted in a movie.)

All in all, I feel like I paid a premium for a vacation that I could have planned myself and instead of a stress-free and customized experience, I had to keep on top of our transportation plans and was given something perfunctory.

The tour operator has refunded me for the drive to Stonehenge that did not happen and some change fees. This seems to be an obvious gesture and the least they should have done.

We had a fantastic trip. The hotels were excellent. They were located centrally, within walking distance to the major attractions. All of the tour guides were amazing and knowledgeable.

Zicasso's travel agency did an excellent job, from pre-planning through execution! Our agent took a thorough inventory of the types of lodging and activities we liked, as well as specific locations we wanted to visit in England. She and the operations coordinator then put together a terrific travel itinerary for us. The hotels were unique and comfortable, and the driver/guides were fantastic. Every detail flowed smoothly and we highly recommend Zicasso and this agency!