Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Walked from Dunbar to Berwick-on-Tweed

Everything was very well organized by Absolute Escapes and the hotel/guest house were great. All the arrangement went well and were one time. We made a couple of changes directly with the taxi providers, they were all most helpful. Our favourite walk was from St Abbs Head to Eyemouth, we skipped the part from Dowlaw to St Abbs Head due the one day we had heavy rain.

It was a gorgeous walk. Everything was well organized and as we expected. Beautiful scenery and we met a lot of nice people along the way.

Absolute Escapes (Caitlin Rush) did a great job of organizing the trip for us and everything went as we expected.

We had 3 days walking on the Offa's Dyke, with hotels and luggage transfer organised by Absolute Escapes. The trip was tailored made to suit our walking capacities and our preferences for the portion of the Offa's Dyke walk. It also involved taxis where needed.

The agent really listened to our needs and made very good suggestions. After a couple of email exchanges to tweak the proposition we agreed on a route which was ideal for our purpose. Everything went according to plans and we were very pleased with the organisation.

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We had a wonderful visit we had in Scotland. The route was so interesting, the scenery was gorgeous, the inns and innkeepers most charming, and the driving not too difficult. The weather could have been sunnier, but we made the most of the clear skies for hikes, gardens and explorations outside, with museums, churches, the Hop On bus tour of Edinburgh, and good meals saved for the rainy periods. And all thanks to your planning and recommendations. We think Absolute Escapes is a fine trip planner, and it was a pleasure working with Fern in their office. Thank you!

Absolute Escapes arranged a tour according to some input from us about places we wanted to visit in Scotland. We worked with Fern to fine-tune the itinerary route and length of stay at each place. Since I was interested in gardens Fern pointed out some along the route that I should see. She also recommended other points of interest, including restaurant suggestions, and arranged for an extra night in Ediburgh. The tour was personalized for us and just what we hoped for and more.

Our holiday was a fabulous experience organised by Absolute Escapes. From the exceptional quality of the accommodation, the drives through magnificent vistas and the rugged beauty of Scotland, to how to find our way from point A to point B and the side-lights along the way. Every detail was planned to perfection and the detailed itinerary made navigating our way an absolute breeze. Our holiday ran like clockwork with advice about visits to major attractions and to smaller villages and their unique offerings, giving us both the highlights and once-in-a-lifetime local experiences. The B&B accommodation they booked was delightful and our hosts were unfailingly welcoming and informative and gave us many insights to the hidden gems in their areas. Our accommodation was very comfortable and well furnished with those little extras that make travel a joy – ensuite bathrooms with great showers to revive after a long day and plenty of tea and coffee to relax with. The welcome, accommodation and breakfast and dinner provided by Ian Sharp at Castle View B&B in Dufftown went to another level of outstanding. Ian is an engaging and charming host and his culinary skills and passion for the local produce is remarkable. We had a blast in this part of Speyside made all the more memorable by Ian and Betty. I can assure you that all our friends and family will be pointed in Absolute Escapes direction at the merest mention of a holiday in Scotland.

Absolute Escapes worked with us on every aspect to ensure we had a fantastic holiday, planned in exquisite detail to include everything we requested. From our initial inquiry, through various options and possibilities we raised, Absolute Escapes responded with great advice about how we could get the most from our time in Scotland. They replied to our emails promptly and, gave us the option of speaking directly to them despite the unsociable time difference between Scotland and Australia.

Dear Caitlin, We had a wonderful vacation in Scotland, all was perfect: the information kit, the transport of our luggage, the B&Bs, especially the hosts who were very pleasant and helpful. We really enjoyed our trek and we even consider repeating the experience in Ireland next year. Thank you so much! Denise & Richard Falcon

Dear Caitlin, We had a wonderful vacation in Scotland, all was perfect: the information kit, the transport of our luggage, the B&Bs, especially the hosts who were very pleasant and helpful. We really enjoyed our trek and we even consider repeating the experience in Ireland next year. Thank you so much! Denise & Richard Falcon

My wife and I recently returned from a really well organised ten day Island Odyssey Holiday in Scotland. Absolute Escape staff proved invariably friendly, helpful and professional: they provided us with a thick folder of tailor-made information, advice, maps, notes, routes and details of accommodation and ferries en route. Fern Urquart was our initial contact and mainstay: she ensured that we visited the islands we wanted (Arran, Islay, Mull and Skye) at a pace that suited our driving with great views and suggested stop offs and with all our accommodation & ferries efficiently pre-booked and paid for in advance as part of the £760 pp deal. The comprehensive itinerary notes & suggestions allowed us to deviate and stop along the route as we wanted - always travelling towards one of the seven booked ferries or B&Bs along our way. This independence allowed us to drive a total of 1800 miles from start to finish at a pace that suited us, meet lovely B&B owners, eat in a variety of cafes and restaurants, photograph some lovely sites and things, and also enjoy three days at the end at the Edinburg Fringe to end a memorable and midge-free holiday. Money well spent with a caring firm that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Approachable, caring, friendly, helpful and professional.

Thom and Rosemary, Canada We had a absolutely amazing 2 1/2 week driving vacation in Scotland thanks to Absolue Escapes. Stunning scenery, warm and welcoming people, fabulous historical locations, great pubs and restaurants. The itinerary and iinformation package Absolute Escapes provided us was very detailed with suggested routes (actually highlighted on the map they provided); directions to the various accomodations they booked us in; things to see and do along the way and at our various destinations; even places to eat. Our accomodations were nothing short of excellent in cleanliness, comfort, location and hospitality. Not to mention all the breakfast which were delicious and hearty. What more could one ask for? The food? Well, from "the best fish and chips anywhere" to Michilin Restaurants, and everything in between, the food was nothing short of delicious! The hardest decision to make after dinner was "which Scotch Whisky to have a wee dram or two off". The selection is almost endless! We went in late September, typically a more rainy time but the weather was actually very good. It only rained for one day and scattered showers a few other times. The weather never stopped us from doing anything. Thank You Absolute Escapes for a magical Scottish adventure!

Thom and Rosemary, Canada From the first contact we made with Absolute Escapes, through the planning and finalizing of our custom vacation, they were absolutely amazing to work with. The information package and itinerary they provided us was very detailed with suggested routes; directions to the various accomodations they booked us in; things to see and do along the way and at our destinations; even places to eat. The accomodations they booked us in were fabulous (spotlessly clean, very comfortable and great locations - I understand they regularily check personally all the establishments they book clients into). Pippa, our agent, always made us feel like we were her most important client! No question was a bad question, no request was to difficult to handle and we never felt like we were taking up her time. She was a dream to work with, and the same can be said about the other team members we had contact with at Absolute! We have never had this level of service and dedication to client satisfaction as we received from Absolute! Without a question we would absolutely use them again and heartily recommend Absolute Escapes to friends and family. Thank You Pippa and Absolute for a memorable Scotish vacation!!!

We were in Scotland for about 11 days with a booked tour for 7 of those days including two of the 7 days in Edinburgh and the other 5 on a Rabbies 12 passenger bus visiting the Highlands. The rest of our visit to Scotland we organized ourselves including two days spent in Dunbar (a John Muir pilgrimage) and the rest of the time in Edinburgh. We stayed in B&Bs for our full stay and found all of them very clean and modern with the owners providing excellent breakfasts and being very accommodating, cheerful and helpful in storing our luggage while we were away, calling cabs, giving good tips on eating places and instructions on how to get to attractions. The tour of the Highlands was wonderful (we had non-Scottish weather all days but 1) with a good mix of driving and stops, great scenery and the driver being very informed and entertaining. We learned a great deal about the geology of the Highlands on the tour as well as seeing the obligatory castles. We enjoyed hearing about Scottish history. We found that four days in Edinburgh was just right to see the old section of the city.

Absolute Escapes was excellent to work with and did a great job in setting up our two days in Edinburgh and 5 days touring the Highlands with Rabbies. We worked with 3 different people at AE and all were very professional while also providing the human touch to make sure the tour was what matched our interests. All the B&Bs were excellent and well located for spending the evenings shopping and eating out. Communication was excellent between AE in Scotland and ourselves in Canada and the information package for the trip was here within just a couple of days of the trip being booked. Would certainly recommend anyone using AE and Rabbies.

We are spending our last night in Scotland after a wonderful seven days in your country. The Paisley night was very nice, they even set out chairs and a table for us in the garden for a quick wine and cheese we bought in a local shop. Dora was most gracious in Ft William, and dinner at the Limetree was excellent. Isle of Skye was hosted by Craig and great view of fields and Portree. You should highly recommend dinner reservations in Portree as many restaurants have limited openings for evening meals. We understand it is due to lack of accommodations for workers. Two nights in Inverness were our favorites with walking distance to town. Breakfasts were best of the week, John and Susan most gracious. The Apex Hotel for first and last stop is First Class. Luggage left behind from our first night was already in our room today upon our return. Thanks again for all your assistance. Will recommend you to all. Dave and Marlene

Charlotte was first-rate and planned an excellent tour that fit our schedule.