Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

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.

Fantastic walking holiday ialong the Northumberland coast.

Brilliant. Friendly, efficient, communicative, knowledgeable.

Absolute Escapes arranged a 12-day holiday by train through Scotland for us. The information packet we received, well in advance, contained everything we could possibly need: A day-by-day itinerary with all needed travel info and B&B information. There were timetables, maps, our Scotrail Rover Cards, and brochures concerning things-to-do. The B&B's they booked us into were unfailingly charming, clean, and comfortable -- with very delicious and generous breakfasts. It was our first trip to Scotland, and Absolute Escapes made sure it was memorable in the best possible way!

Pippa stayed in touch throughout the process. She was always very prompt in answering questions and replying to emails. She was professional and caring, and we couldn't be more pleased with her work.

30 days in Scotland with multiple hotels, guest homes, train, bus, and cabs. Everything went without a hitch. Beautiful accommodations along with the beauty of Scotland and its people, made for a perfect first visit.

Pippa at absolute escapes was always responsive to our questions and requests. The planning for our trip made easy and the results: fantastic!

We did the Herriot Way in Yorkshire, walking over four days from Aysgarth to Hawes, Hawes to Keld, Keld to Reeth and then back to Aysgarth. Each leg was 13 miles and the scenery was steep, but stunning. The locals are friendly and a delicious cream tea is available in every town and village. Perfect for the weary walker!

We used Absolute Escapes when we did the West Highland Way in 2014. It was a fantastic holiday and we were so impressed with the service that we chose to use them again for our walking holiday this year; the Herriot Way. We have two dogs so accommodation is trickier to find, however Absolute Escapes do all the legwork and booking and provide all the essential information we needed in a handy pack.

Started with Hadrian’s Wall, than the West Highland Way and continued on the Great Glenn Way to Inverness. I than drove the NC500, Continued walking the Rob Roy, John Muir Way connecting up with the Berkshire Coastal Path and finishing up with the Fife Coastal. Absolute Escapes planning and implementation was outstanding, all I had to do was get up every morning and enjoy Scotland.

Thank you Absolute Escapes for arranging my adventure in Scotland . The bag service people never missed a stop. The accommodations were very good and some were outstanding , truly five star accommodations. The planning and implementation of my two month adventure was excellent.

7 days to walk the established Dales Way national trail from Ilkley to Windermere

Absolute Escapes :They provided the baggage transfers and arranged the on route overnight stays. As these are one night stays its often difficult to organise these as an individual but they have the contacts and the credibility to handle this.

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