Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Absolute Escapes planned a driving and out door activities holiday for us from Edinburg through the Highlands. It was PERFECT!!! They curated a perfect amount of drive times, wonderful hotels, fabulous meals and an abundance of options to fill our days. It was a holiday perfectly tailored to our desires.

Truly incredible!!!! From start to finish Absolute Escapes was responsive and knowledgeable. They tailored the perfect Scotland vacation for our personal preferences. All of our questions and concerns were answered expertly and quickly. They arranged for some truly spectacular once in a lifetime accommodations and meals. The company provides detailed information for every aspect of your trip. They also provide extensive options for how to fill your days based on your personal preferences (i.e. we wanted to do a lot of out door walks and hiking). They offer 24 hour support, as needed, while on your vacation.Our travel specialist was kind and very attentive. I have nothing but the highest praises for this company and highly recommend them for your next trip to Scotland.

We had a wonderful trip. We highly recommend the accommodation booked for us on both the Islands. Phil and Rebecca at Ortolan House in Lerwick were super hosts and we enjoyed Phil's Seabird Tour. Keith and Eiaine at Avalon Guest House in Kirkwall welcomed us late at night after the ferry crosssing from Lerwick and their exceptional hospitality was much appreciated. The rooms we were allocated at both properties were very spacious and well appointed and we highly recommend the facilities on offer. We had booked a two night stay in a 4 star hotel on our way home from Orkney and both Ortolan House and Avalon Guest House facilities far exceeded those at the hotel.

Helpful and courteous service. All the ferry crossings went precisely to plan.

My husband and I took our daughter to walk the West Highland Way as a commemoration of her graduation. It was a spectacular journey, physically challenging but extremely rewarding. We followed the experience up with a few days on Mull and a few days in Edinburgh.

This was our fourth walking trip with Absolute Escapes, which in itself is a high recommendation. Everything has always gone like clockwork on all the trips we have taken with them.

watched the TV series -- had to visit the shetland islands -- absolute escapes put together a 3 wk adventure that took us to shetland, orkney and northern scotland -- the itinerary was extremely well planned out, the accompanying documentation gave us the tools we needed to make sure we saw it all, the worst of the accommodations provided were magnificent, most were absolutely awesome -- couple of bumps in the road, adapting to the obvious driving issues took this old man longer than most perhaps but we made it (1130 miles) -- they provided the support we needed to get us through -- trip of a lifetime -- sincere thanks to absolute escapes

the itinerary they proposed was well thought out -- covered all the bases -- gave us (a couple of old people) plenty of time to enjoy the experience not just have the experience -- pre-trip supporting documentation was very complete -- recommendations on things to do/see, dining options were all spot on -- all the guidance provided prepared us thoroughly for what to expect --

Walked the Fife Coastal Path with good weather, beautiful scenery, lovely (little) fishing villages, along and over beaches, cliffs, along golf Links and with lot of historic buildings to discover. Good food, hospital accommodations, and some new whisky distillery's to visit like Kingsbarns and Lindores Abbey.

Excellent translation from our requirements into the actual made reservations and extra additional services as taxi transfers etc.. Excessive information in advance about the route, accommodations and towns along the route.

We walked the splendid West Highland Way. It was a great experience even with the Scottish weather we had. It nearly rained every day, but we as well saw the sun. We enjoyed the sceneries very much and the colours of the landscape were gorgeous. Absolute escape helped us a lot organising the accommodations and the bags transport. They really did a got job, we even received information about was we will experience along the way regarding the hiking, the accommodations, where to eat in the evening and where to buy food or get lunch packs for the following day.

We had a great experience, got quick and very competent answer. We also received great suggestions regarding the second part of our vacation in Scotland.

good experience

itinerary and accomodations selected were very good

A self guided 8 day walk from Drymen to Pitlochry. Staying each night at selected b&b or hotel accommodation. The route takes in picturesque villages and stunning scenery

A business specialising in organising walking/cycling holidays.

My family and I spent three weeks in Scotland starting July 20th, 2022. The focus of the trip was hiking the West Highland Way, but we were able to spend four quality days in Glasgow before, an extra day in Fort William at the end of the Way, and another four days in Edinburgh after, culminating with the Tattoo and Fringe events. Glasgow is a great working-class city with a fascinating story to tell. Our highlights included the Glasgow Cathedral, Kelvingrove Museum, Riverside Museum and Necropolis, all highly recommended. The social life is also spectacular with a great live music scene. The West Highland Way is a bucket list item for anyone who enjoys a multiday hiking adventure. It can be done in as little as five days, but we chose an eight-day option with a rest day in the middle. Every single day held amazing views and interesting people. The two days along Loch Lomond were the most troublesome hiking, with the trail degrading into scrambles frequently, but also held some of the most spectacular views. We hiked from south to north. After leaving the Loch behind the trail opens into Highland vistas. Incredible views and great open spaces with the occasional farmhouse, spectacular waterscapes and waterfalls line the entire route. The accommodations were always adequate or better and the service friendly and attentive. Highlights along the route include dinner at the Clachlan Inn in Drymen, drinks and appetizers at the Drover in Inverarnan, the accommodations at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, and if you book at the Forest View Guest House in Kinlochleven, the porridge is a must try for breakfast, it is spectacular. Trail highlights include Conic Hill just before Balmaha, the Glencoe Mountain resort just before Kingshouse, and of course the Devil’s Staircase between Kingshouse and Kinlochleven. We chose to take a rest day in Tyndrum, taking the train to Oban for the day. Again, highly recommended, if you make the trip book a distillery tour in advance. Quality rain gear is a must, but our experience was short, intense rain, so gear that can be quickly deployed and removed works best. Pick up a couple bottles of “Smidge” and you can avoid head nets. Edinburgh is a spectacular city with a continental feel. Highlights of our time there, a hike up to Arthur’s seat, a tour of Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Mary King’s close, Holyrood Palace and park, and of course the Tattoo. Edinburgh, like Glasgow, deserves as much time as you can give to her and will keep you entertained, to the point of being almost overwhelmed.

Absolute Escapes made our hike arrangements, accommodations, baggage transfer, hike preparation, recommendations for meals and time in Oban, Fort William, and Edinburgh. Their arrangements were perfect in every conceivable way and their recommendations were spot on. We are very happy with their service and intend to use them again soon. As a special note I want to thank AMS Scotland, not only was their service reliable to the point of being transparent, but when my daughter left her wallet at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, they made sure it was delivered intact to our next stop at Glencoe. Excellent service from both Absolute Escapes and AMS Scotland, both are highly recommended.

We spent a week walking round Loch Ness, carrying our day packs, and with our luggage transferred between accommodation. Very relaxing, with good accommodation and food en route.

Absolute Escapes organised everything for us, and they went out of their way to ensure our holidays ran smoothly. From the planning stage through to the actual holiday, it was completely stress-free.