Tour Lisbon-Fatima-Madrid-Barcelona Sep 19-25, 2019
Our group of 8 couples from Canada had a blasts We did not expected a comprehensive tour experience and the great professionalism from your tour leaders particularly Toni, Ana, Yelda, Angeles, not to mention local tour leaders Carolina, Annabella and Teresa.
Tour started at Lisbon Sep 19 and ended at Barcelona Sep 25. The hotels were above average and the breakfast had lots of choices and were filling until the early afternoon hours of the tour.
I guess, we got a great deal for the tour package.
As in any big company, we had some minor glitches. I will summarize some below:
- Only 2 of the 7 rooms were available at Holiday Inn Express in Lisbon when we arrived 1 pm. Waited an hour to accommodate all of us. I guess the hotel was full the previous day.
- During our bus trip from Zaragoza to Poblet 2 hours, the bus air conditioning did not work. Two hours of sweat and no air ventilation. Temp reached 29 deg C inside the bus. The driver decided to open his window only during the last 30 minutes to bring down the temp. He gave us free bottled water 1 eurosomewhere in the end.
I guess this is unavoidable circumstance for the trip.
- The Sintra Excursion was not properly handled. The local tour guide Annabella did not mention to us that the top castle could be reach by bus, tuk-tuk or taxi. We had 1.5 hours in the area. My friends were supposedly looking forward to see the castle place. She should have given that option, I think.
- In Madrid, my friends were interested to watch the bullfight scheduled Sunday at 6pm. However, we have a Flamenco excursion at 9pm. Yelda, our tour leader DID NOT mention that the Flamenco site is inside the bullring area too. We should have booked a bullring fight with my friends and just met them after the bullfight. Bad decision on her part. I guess she want it as a secret location surprise. Too bad, we missed it
- We had no transfer from Sagrada excursion/La Ramblas to the hotel. We paid 45 Euros each just to be on your own, afterwards? All of us ended paying taxi to reach our hotel. They should have provided bus for our group of 17 persons.
- Again, we had no transfer from Plaza Mayor to the hotel. We ended up taking the Metro. Is this normal?
Anyways, our group had fun and fond memories of Portugal and Spain. Thank you very much Europamundo. We will be back again using your services in the future. We will also recommend you to our friends.
Lessons Learned: Not to book the excursions we booked Sintra, Flamenco, Sagrada. All had mess up the bus schedules of our group - as such, bus schedule pick-up/logistics and program were affected.
Ola Cheers
Renato Buenaventura Mississauga, Canada 9/28/2019
5 star experience, from first day pickup at the airport to the last day of the tours, even English speaking groups are small4 ppl they have dedicated English speaking guides with us most the time
We loved the different daily activities, free afternoon time, bus transfer to the hotel daily, the local guides were very informative and helpful. Accommodation was great. My only suggestion, the travel app to include the tour guide contact details, and more attention to individual and details when starting the tour on the first day.
The Roma Hotel in Lisbon hotel staff Fernando Leite was extremely unprofessional and rude. I was the only person waiting for service on 11 Nov, and he did not serve me, and not even greeted me for about 10 min. When my wife Ann went to ask the other staff in the room, he loudly scolded my wife. Then Fernando claimed the room was not readyand later I find out that it has, and eventually the other staff in the room checked us in.
The trip was excellent and i really enjoyed it. The organization, the staff and group was fabulous.
I will definetly use and book my future trips with you. 100 recomended
How we were well taken care of Still would like to know how we could have gotten our expensive meds returned to us. We tried our best to get them but never did.
En General nos ha gustado el viaje.
Los lugares que hemos visitado han sido hermosos.
El primer dia habia una chica en silla de ruedas en Madrid, cuando la chica subio al autobus y trato de buscar asiento fue la ultima en subir y todos los asientos estaban ocupados con muletas iba la pobre recorriendo el autobus, mientras el autobus estaba en movimieto... hasta que empezamos a gritarle al guia para que parara el autobus pues la chica se iba callendo.
La otra fue que en 2 dias consecutivos un grupo que venia en parejas se sentaron separados todos en ventanilla, dejandonos unicamente asientos en pasillo y sin la posibilidad de sentarnos con nuestra familia, al quejarnos con el guia, no hicieron nada.
Al dia siguiente despues de una parada, ese mismo grupo entro al autobus antes y movio nuestras pertenencias de nuestros asientos para hacer lo mismo, sentarse todos en ventanilla. YO trate se sentarme al lado de una senora en un asiento libre de pasillo y la senora no me dejo sentarme ahi, puso su bolsa, al pedirle de favor si podia mover si bolsa para yo sentarme, pues era el unico asiento libre, la hija sentada enfrente empezo a gritarme que no me querian que yo me sentara al lado de la senora, que la senora queria ir ella sola en los 2 asientos, otro pasajero se dio cuenta y me hizo el gran favor de moverse junto a su esposo para que yo me pudiera sentar junto a mi hija, mientras los guias solo nos veian, hasta que me dirigi directo a los guias, lo unico que hicieron es hablar con todo el autobus para pedir cada quien se sentara donde venia. Nada agradable. Despues de esto nos cambiamos de autobus con un grupo de 6 otros pasajeros en Portugal y el viaje fue maravillosamente agradable con ellos.
I had a wonderful travel experience overall, and I would like to take a moment to highlight my time in Morocco, which was made even more memorable thanks to my exceptional English-speaking tour guide, Ayoub. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly enhanced my journey.
In addition to Ayoub, I also had the pleasure of working with several other wonderful team members. Hamida, our Spanish-speaking guide, was always friendly and helpful, and Mohammed, our driver, ensured our travels were safe and efficient. Frey, one of the bilingual guides, was instrumental in picking me up in Tarifa and assisting with my transfer to Sevilla, where he facilitated a smooth transition to my hotel. I also had the opportunity to work with Itsa, an outstanding English-speaking guide in Spain and Portugal.
While all of these individuals contributed to making my trip enjoyable, Ayoub truly stood out during my time in Morocco. He went above and beyond to ensure that my vacation was not only enjoyable but unforgettable. As my primary guide for most of my time in Morocco, Ayoub’s excellent communication skills and deep knowledge of Moroccan culture, history, and landmarks made all the difference.
My trip started with an unfortunate setback in Madrid, where I became a victim of pickpocketing and lost all my cash. Ayoub showed incredible empathy and immediately reassured me that he would help. He took the initiative to ensure I could still participate in all the planned excursions and helped me make the most of my free time despite the situation.
Ayoub’s support and dedication were invaluable, and I can’t thank him enough for making my vacation so special. His care and commitment truly made this trip informative, enjoyable, and unforgettable. He is a true asset to the company, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have had him as my guide.