Ultimate France

Luxury Gold is poor value for what it costs - company asserts itself to be on par with Tauck, for example. This tour was more like a Trafalgar, or Approach or the equivalent of a Carnival cruise versus a Viking cruise. There was nothing provided in the way of tours or experiences that someone couldn't have done on their own. Unlike other tour companies, there were no "behind the scenes, private group or unique experience" tours provided. Instead, tours were limited to a two-hour orientation tour by local guides (who were excellent, but provide the same service through Get Your Guide or Viator). The brochure referenced a "cooking class" but it was merely a waffle-making demonstration followed by a light lunch. This was billed as a small group tour of 12 (we were 17). The luxury Chateau in Aix-en-Provence (our longest stay of 3 nights and a highlight of the tour) was downgraded to a so-called 5* Renaissance. My room was equivalent to a Quality Inn or Holiday Inn Express. Drywall was bubbling/peeling, caulking cracked, mould in tub tiles, room hadn't been cleaned (dirty light switches, no supplies). They changed my room, but again, broken light/stained lampshade, etc. And on the breakfast buffet, ants were crawling around on the tables around the food. Photos provided. Company has not refunded price differential between hotel advertised and hotel provided. Group dinner at this Renaissance hotel was one offering - steamed cod wrapped in bacon. Only two of our group of 17 ate it, both were sick afterwards. Tour guide negotiated with Luxury Gold for a "makeup" group dinner at an off-site restaurant. Full choice of menu, but price cap of E40 p/p. Average price of an entree at any restaurant is E26-E36 p/p. Therefore, you chose a main, or an appetizer and dessert. At another hotel, one bottle of water per day per room was supplied free of charge. Any additional water was a room service charge, even if there were two people in the room. Luxury Gold should have intervened and if the hotel would not amend its policy, the tour company should have extended the courtesy - especially during the unprecedented heat wave. For that matter, the brochure stated that it was supplying reusable water bottles to minimize harm to the environment. No water bottles were provided, and instead, small single use plastic water bottles were distributed daily on demand. The guided portion of the tour consisted of a two-hour walking orientation tour in each town/city. The local guides were excellent. But the group tour guide provided no meaningful information to aid in maximizing "free time", which was substantial (e.g. available transit options, ride-share companies, less touristy areas, etc). Full disclosure - there was an unprecedented heat wave during our tour, and many attractions in Paris were closed. While not within the control of the tour company, our tour guide continued to provide vague suggestions about the usual sites to visit (Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, Louvre) without bothering to verify if they were open, or if they were, whether space was still available. In one town, where she lives, she rejoined the group with her children accompanying her. In another, I was called by the hotel's front desk inquiring about group reservations, because they couldn't reach the guide. On several occasions, the tour guide neglected to verify if the entire group was keeping pace, and on one evening, didn't even know that two of the group had opted to try to take Uber to the restaurant. It never arrived, they had to walk, and when they arrived, there were insufficient seats. Our tour guide was very personable and pleasant, but her attention to detail and ability to anticipate logistical challenges seemed to be lacking. Most of us on the tour had previous experiences with Luxury Gold that were very positive. Mine was pre-Covid, and travel has changed for the worse since then. However, this was far from "luxury" and the experience has left many of us vowing never to use this company again.

The trip was wonderful overall. We loved the itinerary that included a variety of towns and experiences. There were just a few items that could have been better. When we booked the trip, the hotel in Aix En Provence was originally supposed to be a "French chateau" type experience. Apparently, another hotel client wanted to rent the whole hotel so we were bumped. This "dream trip" hotel was replaced by a very ordinary suburban non-luxurious hotel which did not fit the normal Luxury Gold experience vibe that we have experienced on other trips with the company. This was also the hotel where we stayed the most number of nights. We believe that a better replacement could have been chosen. Similarly our Eiffel Tower farewell dinner was bumped to an earlier night due to the restaurant stating they could not proceed with our dinner that night as scheduled. Then due to the extreme heat and subsequent Eiffel Tower closure (which was obviously not Luxury Gold's fault), our Travel Concierge worked in the last days to find a suitable alternative. It would probably be better for Luxury Gold to have a Plan B in mind for special events ahead of time. Our Travel Concierge diligently worked to provide alternative experiences for the group to make up for traveler dissatisfaction and to navigate the different personalities and responses to difficulties. She remained very professional and calm and was fun!

Itinerary, hotels (except the replacement hotel in Aix) are good Meals - restaurant is good but the food choices are poor Tour Director - good knowledge but organisational skills poor The cancellation of farewell dinner at Eiffel Tower is not acceptable as the tour were confirmed months in advance.

food could be better and choice asked in advance, more sight seeing with tours in Paris sometimes left pn own without clear guidance and instructions in advance

Great trip...lovely group