Budget Trips to Malta

We really enjoyed the entire trip. The tour manager, Val, the bus driver, Bruno, and the all fourteen days were amazing. The only thing we did not like were the accommodations in Marsala at The Palace Hotel. It is very old and dated past being able to be enjoyable. The rooms were musty and full of dust etc. My wife and I actually had to change hotels and pay for our own accommodations for the three nights there.

The entire tour was enjoyable. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the Greek ruins in Agrigento. The history and construction information was really great.

The entire trip was fascinating. I never knew how culturally diverse Sicily was. I would never have been able to have these experiences as a traveler on my own. First of all - our guide Rosario was AMAZING!!!! He is knowledgeable, well informed in local history and current events, personable and very caring. He has to be the best guide I have ever had. The high points were: Palermo and our hotel location. It was right in the heart of the city. A wonderful location for exploring solo or with the group. The excursion to Monreale and our guide, Jacqueline Alió made the experience memorable and one of my favorite stops. Her passion about the subject was infectious. It was an honor to have her as our guide. Agrigento was a real surprise. Ancient ruins in Sicily?? Who knew?? It was just a lovely experience. The garden excursion from Marsala could be replaced with a trip to Erice. The gardens were lovely but could have been skipped. The winery visit in Marsala was a really fun experience. We learned a little about wine and pasta making and had a wonderful time. The owners of the winery were exceptionally gracious and made us feel like we were the only group to ever visit. Salina was a unique, low key yet wonderful experience. The hotel was out of a story book! It was wonderful! Great choice. The caper farm was most enjoyable to have the very proud owners share their lives with us. Never had a caper dinner before and it was wonderful. And finally Taormina - WOW! The town was a shoppers paradise!! But the amphitheater overlooking Mt. Etna was a wonderful part of the tour. But the real high point was the excursion to Mt. etna, walking on lava stone paths and then onto the wine, honey and goat camp!! Such a contrast of nature!! It was wonderful. But Rosario was the reason why our group of 20 merged so beautifully and made the entire 2 weeks a very rewarding experience!! Thank you Collette.

We loved the entire tour, partly because my family immigrated to the US from Sicily in 1910, so it had deeper meaning than just a vacation. Our tour guide (Davide Iosia) was absolutely phenomenal and added a lot of extra value to our group. He made special accommodations for us to spend more time in Cefalu, where my family came from, and we climbed the Rocca di Cefalu for a bird's eye view of the town. It is a memory of a lifetime for me and Davide made it happen. We will never forget this trip.

The tour was amazing! I most enjoyed all the visits to the local farms, learning about the work they do and just listening to them; being immersed into the cultures and everyday life.

I just loved seeing the open air opera theatre in Taromina.. Knowing that it is still being used today for performances is so wonderful. Seating in the seats that are now provided I could just imagine seeing performers on the stage. I would have loved to just stand on the stage. I didn’t get to see it at night but can just imagine it under the stars with a view of Mount Etna. I must also mention the food. It was truly wonderful. Every bite!! Our tour manager Laura was just the best. This was my second tour with Collette and I hope to add at least one or two or who knows how many more. I truly prefer the small group tours. You really get to know your fellow travelers and the experiences are truly remarkable. I like that even if you are traveling alone you have a travel family with you. I do hope that in the future you might add a few more level 2 tours to the small group tours. Right now the level 3 are fine but hoping to be able to travel as long as possible. It took me a while to finally get to Sicily to see where my grandparents were born, but it was worth the wait and I’m so glad I chose Collette for the journey.