South Asia Farm and plantation visits Trips

Rome (and Pompeii - a must see), Florence and Pisa, Venice - local guides were outstanding - bought to life the traditional sites and not so traditional Our tour director was great (as was our bus driver) - he was very knowledgeable and entertaining

It was nice to stay in each city for 3 nights. (We have taken many tours that change hotels and cities every night.). That’s the part that made it Easy pace. The days were full of activity which were more moderate pace. Which we like. Our tour director, Philip, was excellent. He did a wonderful job “herding the cats” since we were a big group of 40. That was not my favorite part. Way too many people at different fitness levels. Frequently we were broken up into two groups with the local guides which made it more manageable.

I would change the name to reflect that this tour allows members to customize their experience with planned sites and events and optional events or open time. Easy Pace tends to infer a lower activity or walking pace which it isn’t. Individuals with mobility issues may struggle to keep up with some of the walks, sidewalks and stairs. Overall we had a great time but noted the above.

With the added experiences, Rome was NOT easy pace but we loved it. Very busy for the first three days. We were surprised. We loved staying in one hotel for 3 nights. That’s really the “easy” of this tour, not the itinerary. We thought we would have a little more down time. Florence and especially Venice was nice to have time to wander on our own. Great way to wind the trip down before traveling home.

BE PREPARED TO DO A LOT OF WALKING. BUT THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY TO SEE THE AMOUNT OF THINGS WE SAW ON OUR VACATION WITHOUT THE INSIGHT TOUR. THE PHOTO IS THE 8 NEW YORKERS WITH OUR TOUR DIRECTOR PHILIP.

Thank you to all concerned for a great trip Food and beer prices need doubling as service charge 10% and VAT 18%. Night under canvas listening to animal noises ruined by local very loud party until 2am Lion Rock. the walk into the rock itself is not easy as very uneven ground and lots of steps. definitely need walking poles if at all unsure on balance. Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya. Lots of staff but very slow service in bars and restaurants. 2 nights in Galle with own time to explore old town would have been much preferred to 2 nights at Bentota. Jeep ride around Colombo started well, but monsoon rain meant that we were all drenched, and commentary stopped. street food was just picked up from 3 men standing in side street. I had images of a street food market. the food itself in a cardboard box was just rice with a small amount of chicken, and a sweet sauce and chilli sauce, finally eaten in our hotel room. A sad end to a great trip