Please enter your username and password to logon to the member pages

Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Absolute Escapes










Amazing Country, Amazing Holidy
My wife and I were only a few days into our journey when we both discussed how we had to make sure to give Absolute Escapes a raving review. It is glaringly apparent the amount of effort and care that your company puts into choosing lodging, the route, and offering great ideas for excursions, restaurants, and places to visit along the way. We were completely blown away with just how great our experience was. Each bed and breakfast was lovely, ...
My wife and I were only a few days into our journey when we both discussed how we had to make sure to give Absolute Escapes a raving review. It is glaringly apparent the amount of effort and care that your company puts into choosing lodging, the route, and offering great ideas for excursions, restaurants, and places to visit along the way. We were completely blown away with just how great our experience was. Each bed and breakfast was lovely, the owners of all were so accommodating, kind, and we could feel that Scottish charm and genuine nature just pouring through. It was also clear that the bookings were made to give us the best rooms available in each bed and breakfast. Just phenomenal, I cannot say enough good things about Absolute Escapes. Not to mention that everyone in your company (especially Pippa Robinson) have been so professional, prompt, and just gentle about the way you deal with your clients. Skye was amazing, as was every other location, but Skye really stood out to us. We hiked in the Quiraing and I'm not sure how many moments I'll have in my life that filled me with such wonder and joy as that hike did for us. We visited five distilleries, and each was wonderful, but Edradour was the most charming of them all, loved it. Found a new favorite malt, too! Lagavulin 16 will always be tops in my heart, but Coal Ila is just spectacular, and I finally have begun to pronounce Islay appropriately! Edinburgh was by far the culinary master of the trip, the food in that city blew us away. The bar Bramble, and the restaurant Dishoom stick out the most, excellent is an understatement. All in all, from the monumental to the nuanced, this trip was impactful and profound, and would have never been half of what it was to us if it weren't for the care and expertise that Absolute Escapes put into setting us up for success. We will definitely be back to your beautiful country soon, and thank you so much to you and your whole team at Absolute Escapes for making our trip so easy and amazing! Cheers!
Rating for tour operator:




It was a self guided tour, but I mainly had correspondence with Pippa Robinson who was just an absolute dream to deal with. I did have correspondence with one another associate of Absolute Escapes, and they were totally wonderful as well!
Thank you ever so much for your wonderful feedback Matthew, we are so glad that you and your wife loved your trip to Scotland. I'm delighted that you enjoyed all your accommodations and were able to make such special memories on the Isle of Skye. We look forward to welcoming you back to Scotland soon, Haste Ye Back! Best wishes, Pippa Robson





Excellent Walk and Brilliant Arrangements
Four of us (two from Canada and two from England) walked St Oswald's Way in September 2018. We very much enjoyed ourselves and plan to repeat the experience with another walk soon.
Four of us (two from Canada and two from England) walked St Oswald's Way in September 2018. We very much enjoyed ourselves and plan to repeat the experience with another walk soon.
Rating for tour operator:




Absolute Escapes organised our walk and accommodation, and everything went perfectly. The accommodations were well selected and many of our hosts spoke very highly of Absolute Escapes. It is clear that they are good to work with as well as good to book with. Absolutely excellent!
Thank you very much for such a glowing review Charles. We are delighted to hear you had such a memorable walk along the St Oswald's Way this summer. Please do let us know if you are looking for some inspiration for your next walk as we have plenty of it here! All the best to you and your friends, Caitlin Richmond





An inspiring walk across Scotland!
My wife and I like long walks...really long walks. With the incredible assistance of Absolute Escapes, we completed the West Highland Way, The Great Glen Way and The Speyside/Moray Loop...back to back! We hiked over 450 miles over 28 days and the information and logistics provided by Absolute Escapes was critical to our success and enjoyment of this awesome experience through the Scottish Highlands.
My wife and I like long walks...really long walks. With the incredible assistance of Absolute Escapes, we completed the West Highland Way, The Great Glen Way and The Speyside/Moray Loop...back to back! We hiked over 450 miles over 28 days and the information and logistics provided by Absolute Escapes was critical to our success and enjoyment of this awesome experience through the Scottish Highlands.
Rating for tour operator:




We found Absolute Escapes from a web search of operates in the UK. This is the first time we have used a tour company to handle logistics for one of our non-guided adventures. From the first contact, they were responsive, insightful and gently "guided" us toward the perfect itinerary based on what we were hoping to accomplish. Their suggestions were spot on and the accommodations they arranged for us could not have been more inviting. The written material provided by Absolute Escapes also proved essential to our immersion into the history and culture of the Highlands and its people.
Thank you very much for your lovely review Rick. It's great to hear that our information assisted you in your journey through some of the most beautiful regions of Scotland and added to your enjoyment of the walking trails. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if we can be of assistance with any walking adventures in the future! Best wishes, Caitlin Rush





Car tour of the Outer Hebrides
We spent a day each on four islands. We stayed in excellent B&Bs and enjoyed the scenery in the various different weather conditions! Everyone was welcoming and helpful, especially when we had to change plans due to a storm causing our ferry to be cancelled.
We spent a day each on four islands. We stayed in excellent B&Bs and enjoyed the scenery in the various different weather conditions! Everyone was welcoming and helpful, especially when we had to change plans due to a storm causing our ferry to be cancelled.
Rating for tour operator:




Arranged all the places to stay and provided us with lots of useful information about local sites, visitor attractions and eating places. They were exceptionally helpful when a storm caused ferries to be cancelled and last minute changes to accommodation were needed.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback Malcolm. It was a pleasure to assist you and Alison with planning your trip to the Hebrides, and to help with arrangements when the weather put a slight spanner in the works of your plans. Please do get in touch if we can help with any future adventures - we'd love to hear from you. With best wishes, Megan Bruce





Honeymoon Adventure
My new husband and I chose to head to Scotland for our honeymoon in September 2018! This year was a very busy one for us, both personally and professionally and, while we were very excited for Scotland, we both knew that we wouldn't be able to spend the time needed to plan the trip fully. I am so grateful that we turned to Absolute Escapes to help us! Event planning is a big portion of my job, so I appreciate and understand how much work ...
My new husband and I chose to head to Scotland for our honeymoon in September 2018! This year was a very busy one for us, both personally and professionally and, while we were very excited for Scotland, we both knew that we wouldn't be able to spend the time needed to plan the trip fully. I am so grateful that we turned to Absolute Escapes to help us! Event planning is a big portion of my job, so I appreciate and understand how much work and planning goes into making events (or trips!) a success. For that reason, I really appreciated the level of detail that was provided in our packet, from the descriptions of the guest houses to restaurant recommendations. Throughout our trip, we had meals at several of the recommended restaurants (two of our favourites were Cafe Fish in Tobermory and the Seafood Ristorante in St. Andrews) and took part in a number of the listed activities (Calgary Bay, Duart Castle, tour of Loch Ness). We both loved the guest houses that were booked for us; all of the hosts were friendly and welcoming! At our first guest house (The Gil Dun Guest House in Edinburgh), the hosts bought us champagne to celebrate our honeymoon! It was a really special way to begin the trip. Edinburgh was one of our favourite stops and we would love to go back and spend a full week in the city, as we felt like we only got to scratch the surface! Some friends of ours had recommended that we take in the Military Tattoo, so we had booked tickets several months in advance. We loved the show! Isle of Mull and Tobermory was also one of our favourite stops. My husband is a McLean, so he was very excited to have an opportunity to visit Duart Castle, home of the MacLean clan. We spend a long time wandering the grounds and my husband had an opportunity to sign a special guest book reserved for MacLeans/McLeans. The owners of the guest house told us that there is a MacLean clan reunion every five years, which we would love to come back for! St. Andrews was our third favourite stop. We loved wandering the town and enjoyed a round of golf at Strathyrum. We also adored our guest house in St. Andrews (our hosts Margaret and James at Braeside House were absolutely lovely). Overall, we could not have asked for a better trip. It was so well planned and we truly felt that Absolute Escapes went above and beyond for us. Scotland is maybe my favourite country I've ever visited and we're already talked about going back!
Rating for tour operator:




I could not have been more impressed with Absolute Escapes. We worked with Caitlin and she was fantastic - she provided timely and thorough responses and fantastic recommendations. We had some questions halfway through the trip and she was so helpful. Absolute Escapes took care of everything for us, which took away any stress of planning a trip. We would highly recommend the company!
Thank you very much for your lovely feedback Danielle. We are delighted that you had such a fantastic honeymoon in Scotland and it was a pleasure to help make all the arrangements. It's great to hear that Scotland may draw you back again in the future as well and please do not hesitate to get in touch again if we can be of assistance with any future adventures. Best wishes, Caitlin Rush





Our wonderful walk on the West Highland Way
Our 7 day walk was an amazing experience. We were thankful for the help and advice provided by Absolute Escapes before and during our walk. It helped us choose the right itinerary and prepare ourselves for what we should bring and what to expect on the way. Their choice of accommodation was excellent: friendly, comfortable and very good value. We only met nice people on the walk, whether local or on vacation. The memories of West Highland Way ...
Our 7 day walk was an amazing experience. We were thankful for the help and advice provided by Absolute Escapes before and during our walk. It helped us choose the right itinerary and prepare ourselves for what we should bring and what to expect on the way. Their choice of accommodation was excellent: friendly, comfortable and very good value. We only met nice people on the walk, whether local or on vacation. The memories of West Highland Way will remain with us for years to come.
Rating for tour operator:




Absolute Escapes are a very professional outfit. Our holiday ran smoothly and they were on hand when we had any questions. I really liked the planning support they provided. I don't think it would have been as enjoyable if we had tried to do this on our own. I recommend them to anyone who is considering the West Highland Way.
Thank you very much for your comments Jerry, we're glad you had a great time along the West Highland Way. We also really enjoyed your wonderful landscape photos! If we can help plan any future walks, please don't hesitate to get in touch. All the very best, Katia Fernandez Mayo





Skye Trail
Two friends and my wife and I walked the Skye Trail this past summer. We had a wonderful experience: the trail was beautiful, and the accommodations that Absolute Escapes set up for us were comfortable. When we were not lodged near the trail, Absolute provided us with transportation. We also called the office in Edinburgh a few times to ask questions, and everyone in their office was very friendly and helpful. Skye is crowded, but it's incredibly ...
Two friends and my wife and I walked the Skye Trail this past summer. We had a wonderful experience: the trail was beautiful, and the accommodations that Absolute Escapes set up for us were comfortable. When we were not lodged near the trail, Absolute provided us with transportation. We also called the office in Edinburgh a few times to ask questions, and everyone in their office was very friendly and helpful. Skye is crowded, but it's incredibly beautiful, and walking the trail is a great way to experience the island and avoid the crowds. I will absolutely use Absolute Escapes again if and when I go on a walking holiday in Europe.
Rating for tour operator:




Absolute Escapes is a top-notch company. They are organized, friendly, and extremely helpful. My wife and I should have stopped in to meet them when we were in Edinburgh, but we got busy sightseeing. I give them five stars as a tour company, virtually no criticisms.
Thank you for your excellent review, Matthew, we were delighted to hear you and your wife enjoyed your time walking the Skye Trail. It is an excellent way to explore the Isle of Skye. If we can assist in the future please don't hesitate to contact us. Best wishes, Jason Martin





Unwelcome and bad surprises once in Scotland
I booked a tour for my mother (age 77) and me for a tour with Absolute Escapes around Scotland. The day before we were to leave on a bus trip, we accidentally learned our baggage allowance is 15kg. ??? I searched all of the travel information, packing instructions, etc. and there was no mention os a 15kg baggage allowance. Turns out the Absolute Escapes had sub-contracted our bus tour to another tour operator and Absolute Escapes had NO ...
I booked a tour for my mother (age 77) and me for a tour with Absolute Escapes around Scotland. The day before we were to leave on a bus trip, we accidentally learned our baggage allowance is 15kg. ??? I searched all of the travel information, packing instructions, etc. and there was no mention os a 15kg baggage allowance. Turns out the Absolute Escapes had sub-contracted our bus tour to another tour operator and Absolute Escapes had NO IDEA that this tour operator had this policy. I spent most of my day trying to figure this out. It was stressful, unnecessary, and a very bad start to our trip. AE did offer to pay for our dinner that evening and they paid a portion of our meal. The other problem was on the Isle of Skye where we were somehow placed in a B&B that was at least 20 minutes walk from any restaurant. After a long day of touring and walking, we go to our B&B in the middle of nowhere (outside Portree) around 6pm and the bus operator was nice enough to come and pick us up. We got to Portree and walked around a long time before finding a tiny table from a nice lady who felt sorry for us. After dinner, we called several taxi companies to take us back to our B&B who said they were already too busy. We finally found a taxi and decided we would not take the chance the next night. On night 2 in Portree, we sat in our room and ate cheese and crackers because we didn't want to risk getting stuck in Portree. It was not a nice experience. Absolute Escapes took no responsibility for this. It was my fault because I had told them my mother didn't need a wheelchair or walker, so they assumed she'd be more than happy to walk in the cold dark Scottish night along a main road filled with traffic.
Rating for tour operator:




IN this case I'm giving this rating of POOR to Absolute Escapes for the two very large mishaps that occurred with our trip. We walked to some others along the way who had booked driving trips with Absolute Escapes and they seemed happy. I would NEVER recommend someone book anything other than driving trips with them. They are inexperienced (or not very smart) when it comes to setting up non-self-driving tours.
Thank you for your review and feedback about your holiday to Scotland, although I was very sorry and disappointed to receive your comments. As you know we corresponded with you during your holiday and have done since, and we’re sorry to learn that you don’t feel we have the necessary experience to arrange group guided tours of Scotland. We have been offering these tours for over 15 years now, and have always had excellent feedback. Our team takes great pride in creating memorable travel experiences for our clients, and we're very fortunate to have many repeat clients. Many of these clients have been on group guided tours in the past, and have contributed to over 400 'Excellent' reviews which we've been delighted to receive on the AITO website. The majority of the Absolute Escapes team have also been on group guided tours in the past as part of our constant research to find the best experiences in Scotland, so we have first-hand knowledge of what these tours entail.
As I’ve mentioned in our previous correspondence we accepted responsibility for not providing more detailed instructions with regards to the weight limit for the tour, and I can only apologise once again for this error. We have since improved this information for future clients, and I was just sorry that this caused you undue stress at the time. I hope the contribution towards dinner at The Witchery helped to ease this stress a little.
While accepting that we were at fault for not stating the weight limit for the tour, I'm afraid I wouldn't describe your B&B in Portree as being in 'the middle of nowhere'. We have had two members of our team stay at the same B&B in the past so we know the exact location and excellent quality of the accommodation. For guided tours we specifically choose accommodation that is located close to the centre of the towns and villages where they visit, so this allows clients to either walk to a local restaurant for dinner or take a local bus or taxi. We believe that a 15-20 minute walk to a restaurant is a reasonable distance for a client to walk, unless we are made aware that they have mobility issues, which is when we consider alternatives.
In terms of the issues that you had with finding a suitable place to have dinner for your evenings in Portree, I was really sorry to learn that you had to resort to eating in your room for one of your nights. This was clearly a very unsatisfactory situation for you. I was however, rather disappointed to see that you believed 'Absolute Escapes took no responsibility for this', especially when we clearly stated the following in your personalised itinerary: ‘Portree is an extremely popular destination year round and the restaurants in Portree can become very busy in the evenings. We would strongly suggest booking a table as early as you are able.’
We include this information in order to ensure clients aren't faced with the issues that you had during your stay in Portree. As we have discussed in our separate correspondence you feel that this is insufficient in stating how important it is to book a table in advance of your stay, and I would like to thank you for your alternative suggestions which we will certainly take on board. We are always striving to improve our itineraries, so thank you for this feedback.
While I was very sorry to hear that you were disappointed by your holiday experience, I’d like to thank you once again for your honest assessment and comments. Please be assured that we have taken on board your feedback to improve the areas we have mentioned above. Kind regards, Andy Gabe, Director





Enjoyable, relaxing walk on the Fife Coastal Path
We enjoyed a fantastic 8-day self-guided walking tour along the Fife Coastal Path. As our first introduction to Scotland, this was a wonderful way to slow down and get to know a corner of this beautiful country. The scenery was varied and lovely, and because we were setting the pace, we had lots of opportunity to chat with people we met along the route, and to experience the communities we were travelling through. Each day our luggage was moved ...
We enjoyed a fantastic 8-day self-guided walking tour along the Fife Coastal Path. As our first introduction to Scotland, this was a wonderful way to slow down and get to know a corner of this beautiful country. The scenery was varied and lovely, and because we were setting the pace, we had lots of opportunity to chat with people we met along the route, and to experience the communities we were travelling through. Each day our luggage was moved for us to a different B&B, and each night we were welcomed at our new accommodation. We were extremely happy with all the B&Bs, which always offered a warm welcome, very comfortable room, and full breakfast the next morning to start us off on the next day of walking. This trip left us looking forward to our next self-guided walking tour!
Rating for tour operator:




We chose Absolute Escapes because of their experience offering tours along the Fife Coastal Path, and because the reviews we read were very good, and we were not disappointed! We found them very efficient and easy to deal with. They were quick to respond when we had questions or asked for further details about attractions along our route, and the whole booking and payment process was straightforward and efficient. We were very happy with the range of accommodation booked for us along the route, and found the maps and other information provided to be just what we needed. We would not hesitate to book another holiday with Absolute Escapes, or to recommend them to other travellers.
Thank you very much for your lovely feedback Ellen! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your first trip to Scotland walking the Fife Coastal Path, I agree that it's a great walk to do for an introduction to the area. We look forward to hearing back from you in future with regards to your next walking holiday. Best wishes, Pippa Robson





Our Scottish Adventure
We rented a car through our tour company and they arranged all of the lodging, mostly at B&Bs per our request. We are 2 senior ladies who are very particular and wanted to tour on our own so this was perfect for us. We started out visiting a friend who lives on Arran Island and then to Glasgow, Ft. Williams, Inverness, Banchory, Stirling, and then Edinburgh. Our total number of days was 15. We toured the castles and other sights that we were ...
We rented a car through our tour company and they arranged all of the lodging, mostly at B&Bs per our request. We are 2 senior ladies who are very particular and wanted to tour on our own so this was perfect for us. We started out visiting a friend who lives on Arran Island and then to Glasgow, Ft. Williams, Inverness, Banchory, Stirling, and then Edinburgh. Our total number of days was 15. We toured the castles and other sights that we were most interested in. We were thoroughly delighted with everything.
Rating for tour operator:




Charlotte with Absolute Escapes was very helpful and thorough with details. She tailor made our adventure to ensure we did what we wanted.
Thank you very much for your kind words, Brenda. I'm delighted that you both enjoyed your time in Scotland and it was a pleasure to plan your holiday. If we can ever be of any assistance for future travels, we'd love for you to get in touch. Best wishes, Charlotte