Customer Feedback and Reviews
Dont’t take our word for it – here’s what our customers say:
ALBANIA: As promised, I can give you a review of our trip to Albania. This is of course a personal opinion but as our trip was bespoke might be of help with future clients.
Firstly, we had a great time. The local tour company gave us a great tour guide/driver called Bjordi. He was very helpful; nothing was too much for him. His knowledge of Albanian history, culture etc and its context in the history of Europe and the rest of the world was first class. He and I alked history and geopolitics frequently. We were sad to part company with him. He was a genuinely nice guy. I would give him 10 out of 10. We were driven in a Mercedes. The places we visited were spectacular, interesting and full of history. The food was all fresh, excellent quality and great value. They don’t have McDonalds in Albania! The hotels were of a high standard, all very clean and helpful staff. The breakfasts were all excellent. The hotel in Gjirokaster was in an amazing location with views to die for. As a country, Albania is fascinating, the people ever so friendly, rich in culture and history and safe ( when I left my phone in the car our guide said it was perfectly safe, though he walked in the heat to fetch it so I could take photos). In some respects, it is very modern, the airport even has the latest scanners so we could take our bottles of water on the plane. Far better than Gatwick for instance. Toilets everywhere were clean which is always a test of a place for me; I am old enough to remember dirty French toilets as a kid. My message to anyone wanting to go I would do so now whilst the people still value tourists rather than seeing them as an opportunity to rip them off and whatever you do leave any prejudices you have at home.We did not see the north of the country which is a whole trip in itself and Bjordi told us he takes hiking groups into the mountains up there. I hope this helps for the future and am happy to give any other feedback you would like. Also thank you for putting this together for us especially as it was quite close to the departure date and to a budget.
We had a fantastic time – by far the best school trip I have ever been on. The new hotel in Saint Petersburg was brilliant. After a long day sightseeing in Moscow, followed by a sleeper train and further sightseeing in Saint Petersburg, the hotel was an oasis! The food was amazing (too good!) and the hospitality of staff, rooms and quality of the hotel was outstanding. A big hit with us. When we return to Russia in a few years time, we would love to go back there!
Just to say that we had the most wonderful time in St. Petersburg and we cannot thank you enough for organising such a fantastic trip. Our guide, Julia, was brilliant and very well informed about all the places we visited. The hotel was in a perfect location and very comfortable and friendly. We have returned with our heads full of Russian history and all the beautiful things we have seen – it really was a memorable trip. Thank you once again.
Just writing to say thank you so much for helping out with this. The trip took place last week and I’ve had very positive feedback – all went very smoothly, cars very comfortable and always turned up exactly on time. It was also their first trip to Russia – for everyone concerned – and I think all your work really helped to make the whole experience as welcoming and as straightforward as it could be. If ever the opportunity comes up to arrange this sort of thing in future I’ll be straight back in touch.
Thanks Sara! We enjoyed our stay in St Petersburg and you and your company were excellent. Also, Anna, our tour guide, was very good and I highly recommend her as well. Overall, it was a highly positive experience, and we appreciate your flexibility and professionalism.
Just got back from a fantastic trip to St.Petersburg. I’m still pinching myself! Everything went really smoothly and I believe everyone had a wonderful time. We packed so much in and the weather was beautiful to boot! Thank you for all your efforts in making this a great trip for the AWC!
I spent an hour on the phone with UNC today going through their debrief procedure. The university faculty have done these for 20+ years and are not prone to being very effusive. They expect trips to operate well and professionally as a matter of routine. But I am told they ran out of superlatives and adjectives to describe how good the service was on the ground. Attention to detail got top marks. They could not say enough good things about it. I can bore you with intricate details on every service if you want (because we went through the itinerary day by day). There were highlights everywhere but the true stand out was Eugine in Russia. They said all the guides were excellent and Eileen in the UK was as good as any they have ever used, but Eugine was above and beyond and ultimately had the edge because he was young and hip so the group identified with him so well. Eugine just went so far and above the call of duty with them such as coming back to the hotel to collect 3 kids who overslept that they thought he was amazing. He had visited every tech site before they arrived. Eileen seemed to know so much that even if she hadn’t visited they thought she had too which is all that counts. Hotels – all excellent for location and service. She said everywhere else had keys ready and it took a minute. Restaurants – all get top marks for food. Moscow and London service a little slow. Sightseeing – all guides excellent. They thought the Kremlin was the highlight for Russia. Eugine took 12 out to Catherines Palace and she would have liked to have offered it as an optional ahead of time, but who knew. Shard was a good call in London. For these folks it was a highlight because it’s the new trendy thing to do and they’ve all done London several times before. Sapsan train – excellent. They met a Russian exec on board to set up an extra tech visit for them in St Pete. Eugine rolled with it and all worked well. Wifi at hotels they found a bit frustrating, but I think that’s because they expect it to be free as most hotels are in the US now. Womens Day in Russia meant sites didn’t open until 11am (guess all the women got a lie in)… so a later departure for that tour would have been better. So not much more to say, a great effort by everyone involved and it paid off and my sincere thanks to everyone for a job well done.
Throughout our dealings with ASLA Travel we found an efficient and excellent organisation with an outstanding attention to detail. From the planning process through the visa application administration to the trip itself we were always supported by a professional and knowledgeable team of helpful individuals. We would have no hesitation in recommending them to any organisation that is planning a group or incentive trip!
Safely back after a most memorable trip. We were extremely well looked after from arrival in Moscow until departure in Beijing, 21 days later. Food and accommodation very good, as was the wine, which even accompanied us when eating in restaurants off the train! The on board doctor was very attentive, although fortunately neither my wife nor myself had call for her services. All border crossings went very smoothly, so visas all in order. All in all a super trip, which had no bad or boring moments. Now to go through hundreds of photographs and 2 hours of movie film!
Please note client has just returned and has given us glowing feedback for the services received from Asla whilst in Russia. Special mention must go to Maria (Guide) and Sergei (driver) who were both “knowledgeable, polite, helpful and with a sense of humour.” Clients said the trip was exquisitely organised and it was “darn near perfect.” Congratulations to making our client so happy and I look forward to singing your praises (as always) next time I have a client interested in visiting Russia.