Amazing sights, great food, but accommodations/communication leave a lot lacking I took this trip expecting to see a lot, four countries in 10 days. Knowing we'd be on the move was expected and I was looking forward to getting to see so many locations on one trip. My trouble started early on tho, with a delayed flight causing me to miss my transfer to the airport. I'd communicated with the tour company, who insisted it was my fault and I had to take a taxi at my own expense to the first hotel. Not a great way to start a trip. The hotel we stayed at started an unfortunate trend, as every one is far outside the city center and quite dated. Black mold in showers was common, as was one power outlet per room and no air conditioning/windows that didn't open. I understand options to lodge so many people may be limited, but moldy bathrooms and hot rooms aren't acceptable at this price point. The locations being far from city centers prevent you from going out in the city at night to have nice meals/shop, and there are often no/very limited food options near these hotels and even they may be closed by the time you reach hotels. Perhaps an upgrade to nicer hotels could be offered. Also unfortunate is the bus that you are sometimes on for 5+ hours at a time to reach different countries has no wifi, even though its advertised to have it, and there are no power outlets at your seat. Having said all this, I felt the sites themselves were beautiful and amazing. I loved the cities we saw, and felt this trip helped me plan where to come back to and spend more time. Grindelwald and the Alps were a big highlight.
Fantastic cycling area. GPS maps essential. Some of the accommodation was amazing and others were very poor. In Bordeaux region no drop ins for wine tastings so if not in a group most wineries are hard to get a booking. All our tastings were in St Emilion. Try not to cycle on a Sunday nothing is open.
My sister and I had an absolutely fantastic week.
The chalet was located right in the middle of Chamonix and the cooking provided by Sarah and Rich was to die for. The hot tub in the garden at the end of the day with stunning mountain views was great too. The tea and cake around 4 o'clock at the end of a day's walking was always something to look forward to!
We had really good walking with our guide Jenny who was really first class. The scenery is truly amazing and the walk in Italy for a day will live with me for a long time to come. We saw glaciers and lakes, walked down rickety ladders and over little himalayan like bridges.
I have been wanting to do this week's walking for nearly 10 year and it exceeded my expectations
Thanks
Mark