Christmas in Bruges Tour

Your Tour Manager Joanna Dubois was particularly attentive and friendly. She dealt with the odd problem that arose very effectively.

The only possible criticism I could find of the trip is the weather!!! Of course that has nothing to do with Travel Editions. It was unfortunate that the trip to Antwerp had to come on a Monday when galleries etc are closed. But that was the fault of Christmas Day being Sunday ! Guides for Ghent and Antwerp were appreciated. I gather from previous reviews they were not always used. Meals were good.

There were travelling problems which were not the fault of Travel Editions. One or room problems were quickly resolved.

TE brochure said hotel provided L'Occitaine products in bathroom - not correct - they were Swan Hotel products. Tour Manager's delivery on the coach was not always clear and concise enough - eg. telling us the time and place of meeting at end of Ghent visit. He mentioned 2 different meeting points which confused everyone. He needs to make his voice louder and clearer and repeat things. Hotel Aragon was in a nice quiet street yet really near the main square. Very pleasant modern decor in entrance lobby. 2 communal meals out were OK, but a bit disappointing. Meal on Xmas Eve - arrived for 7.30pm, still had not been served main course at 9.30pm. Meal on Xmas Day - much quicker service but main course had extremely small amount of vegetables. Next time I will book as a vegetarian!

Hotel good but rather small rooms, however bathrooms good. All in all very good. We think the tours should be shorter as it is winter and very cold.

The Tour was excellent both in administration and operation. Travel arrangements were efficient ,the accommodation was as described ( except,a minor point ,for the absence of the Occitaine toiletries ).The walking tour of Bruges was informative and left opportunities to explore the city further at leisure. The local guide was very helpful and in, answering questions, included the whole group. The trips to Ghent and Antwerp likewise provided opportunities for personal exploration. The only points of criticism relate to the meals on Christmas eve and Christmas Day. The meal at the Maria de Bourgandie was spoiled by undercooked turkey and a poor value meal overall. The manner of some of the staff was a bit abrupt too and somewhat disorganised. The Den Dryver meal was better but our pre advised dietary requirement was either not advised to staff in advance and/or misunderstood. The ' No sea food request' related to the starter only and led to an inadequate vegetarian main course option being offered,which suggested the option was not planned, ( Poached egg,mashed potato and green beans) when one of us actually wanted the main course( pheasant). The otgher party decided to that the pheasant was not for her and accepted the vegatarian option.The 'misunderstanding ' was amicably and quickly resolved but there should have been a notification that would have prevented the misunderstanding in the first place. We formed the impression that our requirement had not been noted until we were advised of the menu and raised our requirement. The assumption that 'no sea food' does not mean vegetarian needs to be impressed on tour guides and restaurants. The meal at Den Dryver was an improvement on the previous night and service was quick and friendly. We appreciated the excellent guided walk provided ,as an 'extra' by the tour guide on Christmas morning which broadened our understanding of Bruges and it history. Nevertheless his rather laid back approach irritated some of the group and he did not appear to 'connect' well,hence the satisfactory rating

Enjoyed beautiful Bruges & the excellent food, although the very similar menu for The two meals out would have been better avoided. Some prior information about so much being open on Christmas day would have been helpful. A good trip.

Travel arrangements were very good as was the hotel. We thought that it was a pity that there wasn’t a get together at the beginning so that we could get to know our fellow travelers, as we were a big group of 37 we never really meet everyone on the tour. Our tour manager was adequate. We had a perception that the tours of Ghent and Antwerp would be guided as was the excellent tour of Bruges, as we only had limited time in each place it was quite difficult to know how long it would take us to get from place to place and how long we could devote to the various sites. You asked for comments but we really did enjoy the holiday in spite of what we have said!

Third time in 6 years I've this trip. Has the great advantage of no flying and Bruges is one of my favourite European cities. Had problem with the room on the first night but Mark the TM helped me get a room change. The second included restaurant the Den Dyver was inferior to Brasserie Raymonde that was used for my 2 previous trips. Overall very satisfactory.