AITO: The Association of Independent Tour Operators
Absolute Escapes

Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Absolute Escapes

Overall Company Rating
99%
Excellent 729
Good 20
Average 4
Poor 1
Terrible 0
Reviews Submitted: 754
Reviews Accepted: 754
Reviews Rejected: 0
754 reviews
Sort by:
Absolute Escapes by iwalkeveryday, 18 Nov 2015
Holiday Rating:

Excellent Adventure

Everything was well planned for us. All of the accommodations were welcoming and in great locations. A stress free holiday!

Everything was well planned for us. All of the accommodations were welcoming and in great locations. A stress free holiday!

Rating for tour operator:

All of the information provided for our walk was well scripted making our routs easy to execute.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 19 Nov 2015:

Thank you very much for your comments, JoAnn. We were delighted to hear that you enjoyed your walking holiday in Fife, and thank you for posting the photos to our Facebook page - it looked like you enjoyed some stunning weather! Best wishes, Andy Gabe

Absolute Escapes by Jorge Arriaza, 12 Nov 2015
Holiday Rating:

A new way of finding myself in the Great Glen Way

The service was excellent. Everything went according to plans. The walk was amazing and the views were unique. We were lucky enough to find almost no rain and no clouds. The B&B's were lovely, people as nice as it gets. We were delighted with the whole trip.

The service was excellent. Everything went according to plans. The walk was amazing and the views were unique. We were lucky enough to find almost no rain and no clouds. The B&B's were lovely, people as nice as it gets. We were delighted with the whole trip.

Rating for tour operator:

Everything went really smooth, they took care of everything and every single thing worked as planned.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 19 Nov 2015:

Jorge, we are so pleased to hear that your trip was enjoyable and everything went so smoothly. It sounds like you were very fortunate with the weather too! We hope you took some great memories with you and look forward to seeing some photos soon. With best wishes, Amanda MacDonald

Absolute Escapes by Daniel , 7 Nov 2015
Holiday Rating:

Superb planning, advice and communication. Extremely responsive.

We had four days to spend in Scotland, and asked Absolute Escapes to help us plan. They were terrific. Efficient, wise in their advice, communicative even during our trip when we had a question. We were extremely pleased.

We had four days to spend in Scotland, and asked Absolute Escapes to help us plan. They were terrific. Efficient, wise in their advice, communicative even during our trip when we had a question. We were extremely pleased.

Rating for tour operator:

See above.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 10 Nov 2015:

Thank you very much for your review, Daniel. We were delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time in Scotland and hopefully we can tempt you back again to the country of whisky, castles and hillwalking! Sine Nielsen

Absolute Escapes by Debbie, 2 Nov 2015
Holiday Rating:

St. Cuthbert's Way - Holy Island

I walked St. Cuthbert's Way from Melrose to Holy Island and stayed on the island for several nights. The walk was beautiful and inspiring. Accommodations were comfortable and the hospitality was welcome after a long day of walking. I especially enjoyed taking the Pilgrim Route across the sand to Holy Island and time on the island.

I walked St. Cuthbert's Way from Melrose to Holy Island and stayed on the island for several nights. The walk was beautiful and inspiring. Accommodations were comfortable and the hospitality was welcome after a long day of walking. I especially enjoyed taking the Pilgrim Route across the sand to Holy Island and time on the island.

Rating for tour operator:

I was given excellent information about what to expect each day of the walk and appreciated the accommodations that were made. Responses to my questions were always prompt and helpful.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 03 Nov 2015:

Thank you very much for your feedback Deborah, we're pleased to hear you had an enjoyable time on the St Cuthbert's Way. Holy Island is indeed a lovely place to spend some extra time! Kind Regards, James Fathers

Absolute Escapes by Ms M M 15, 30 Oct 2015
Holiday Rating:

Challenging, Epic & Unforgettable

My husband and I selected the West Highland Way as our honeymoon destination. Hiking 30km + each day over 5 days isn't everyone's idea of a romantic honeymoon but we loved the challenge, the vast, epic, ever-changing landscapes and the warm charm of our inns and their keepers. The 150km trek, from start to finish, was one of the toughest and most rewarding experiences of our whole lives.

My husband and I selected the West Highland Way as our honeymoon destination. Hiking 30km + each day over 5 days isn't everyone's idea of a romantic honeymoon but we loved the challenge, the vast, epic, ever-changing landscapes and the warm charm of our inns and their keepers. The 150km trek, from start to finish, was one of the toughest and most rewarding experiences of our whole lives.

Rating for tour operator:

It made all the difference working with Absolute Travel. They were lovely to communicate with and took care of everything. They booked our accommodations, plotted our daily distance, shuttled our luggage to each daily destination and provided day-sheets that properly prepared us for the day ahead. This took all the stress off us so we could focus exclusively on our journey.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 03 Nov 2015:

Thanks so much for your lovely feedback Myan. We are so pleased to hear that our service was beneficial to you and you could concentrate on just enjoying the experience! It really is a spectacular walk and as you said the challenge of it and the sense of achievement you get afterwards makes it so special. I hope you took some great memories away away and will look back fondly on your Honeymoon. Best wishes, Amanda MacDonald

Absolute Escapes by Ms J H 15, 30 Oct 2015
Holiday Rating:

We Walked the Wall!

It was more challenging than I thought it would be - both Annie and I had a "moment" when we wondered what the heck we were doing. But we pushed through and are so thankful we did. This was definitely an experience that pushed us out of our comfort zone but that just made it all the more exhiliarating! Instead of waiting until we reached the end of our hike to celebrate we began to celebrate each day, each hill, each sublime vista and each other...

It was more challenging than I thought it would be - both Annie and I had a "moment" when we wondered what the heck we were doing. But we pushed through and are so thankful we did. This was definitely an experience that pushed us out of our comfort zone but that just made it all the more exhiliarating! Instead of waiting until we reached the end of our hike to celebrate we began to celebrate each day, each hill, each sublime vista and each other. I keep thinking about being up in the hills with the huge sky above us, rain alternating with sunshine, the wind in our faces and feeling so alive. I wish I was still there!

Rating for tour operator:

I felt like I got to know the people who organized our tour and they were eager to accommodate alterations to our agenda for us. Emails both before and after the trip helped us to feel connected even when we could not see anyone for miles and miles. The accommodations were really lovely - absolutely no complaints at all.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 03 Nov 2015:

Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review, Jane. We really enjoyed reading about your experience on Hadrian's Wall and it brought back many happy memories of walking in the wide open countryside, battling the elements and celebrating every small victory - it simply sounds wonderful! Again, thank you for sharing and please don't hesitate to contact us in the future. Sine Nielsen

Absolute Escapes by MrsF, 29 Oct 2015
Holiday Rating:

Having it organised took the stress out of the walk, we could just enjoy.

We did a 100 miles of the John Muir Walk over 5 days to mark 10 years of our charity. It was quite challenging, it was meant to be. The John Muir Walk I couldn't recemend any higher as the scenery is amazing and being able to walk from Kirkintillock to Dunbar without hardly seeing a road was quite spectacular.

We did a 100 miles of the John Muir Walk over 5 days to mark 10 years of our charity. It was quite challenging, it was meant to be. The John Muir Walk I couldn't recemend any higher as the scenery is amazing and being able to walk from Kirkintillock to Dunbar without hardly seeing a road was quite spectacular.

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes organised the walk, our accomodation and our maps itinary etc which were very well done and took a lot of the stress out of having to organise that part, nothing was a problem for them.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 02 Nov 2015:

Thank you very much for your feedback Sara, and congratulations again on completing your 100 miles challenge on the John Muir Way!

Absolute Escapes by YTAnnie, 26 Oct 2015
Holiday Rating:

Hadrian's Wall Walk

A friend and I booked a 7-day walking holiday of Hadrian's Wall through Absolute Escapes, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The walk was superb, despite rain, wind, mud, and sore feet and legs. The B&Bs that we stayed at were excellent and we were very glad of soft beds, warm showers and delicious meals every night. The scenery en route just gets better and better as you move out of Newcastle towards the west coast - even in the inclement weather, ...

A friend and I booked a 7-day walking holiday of Hadrian's Wall through Absolute Escapes, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The walk was superb, despite rain, wind, mud, and sore feet and legs. The B&Bs that we stayed at were excellent and we were very glad of soft beds, warm showers and delicious meals every night. The scenery en route just gets better and better as you move out of Newcastle towards the west coast - even in the inclement weather, you just can't stop staring at the views. You can literally see for miles. The air was clean and fresh, the people friendly, the route interesting and beautiful, and you walk across a whole country! The team at Absolute Escapes obviously know their stuff - there were no glitches at all, apart from some recommended restaurants not being around anymore in Newcastle. Already we are looking at another walk next year and will definitely recommend Absolute Escapes to others for a seamless, professional and thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes was our tour operator/organiser and they did a superb job of arranging the accommodation details and ensuring our luggage was collected and dropped off each day at our destination. I had a couple of questions en route and they were answered quickly and happily by Scott. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for them!

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 28 Oct 2015:

Thank you very much for your kind review, Annie. You paint a vivid picture of your adventure along Hadrian's Wall and it sounds like you had a wonderful walking holiday with Jane - the photos were stunning and made us long for rolling hills and misty moorlands. We really appreciate your comments about the service we provide and it would be a pleasure to assist you again in the future. Sine Nielsen

Absolute Escapes by Daisy, 25 Oct 2015
Holiday Rating:

A honeymoon trip for a honeymoon couple that was over the moon!!!

We went from Edinburgh to Oban to Portree to Granton on Spey to Callander and back to Edinburgh staying 2 days in each area. This allowed us to move at a good speed but to have enough time in each area to have our own experience. The B & B's were wonderful and each one was special in it's own way leaving us wishing to go to all again as the owners were a credit to their industry. We loved it all. In Oban we went to the Distillery Tour, excell...

We went from Edinburgh to Oban to Portree to Granton on Spey to Callander and back to Edinburgh staying 2 days in each area. This allowed us to move at a good speed but to have enough time in each area to have our own experience. The B & B's were wonderful and each one was special in it's own way leaving us wishing to go to all again as the owners were a credit to their industry. We loved it all. In Oban we went to the Distillery Tour, excellently delivered by Deirdre, we went to Dunollie Castle and had an outside tour by Ian which was very special and informative as well as a tour of the inside by a lady who's name I cannot remember but who should great pride in it and gave us some wonderful stories of Hope the previous owner who put an eclectic set of memorabilia together there. We went to Mallig, via Glencoe, saw the site of the massacre in Glencoe. Took the Ferry from Mallig to Skye, went on to Portree and walked and drove around Portree, Uig and that whole area, by the grave of Flora McDonald and Alexander McQueen. We visited Plocton village ( a real gem) on the way to Granton on Spey. Granton is a really lovely place and another lovely plave to experience tranquil moderate walks and chill out. We saw a red squirrell in the woods there (certainly a rarity in our eyes!). We went from Granton to Aviemore and up into the Cairngorms to see the Reindeer and went on the tour. This was possibly the highlight (among many lovely highlights) of our trip. The guide was brilliant and (didn't get her name) she showed a marvellous respect and love for these gorgeous if naughty creatures. They are a massive asset and should be cared for and encouraged. Children of all ages from 3 to 103 will love them! From there we visited the Wildlife Park where we saw the Red Pandas (asleep of course!), the camels, polar bears and lots more, another lovely experience. We then made a circuitous over the hills route to Callander avoiding the motorway and going through some lovely countryside. Callander was lovely too and had some excellent moderate to challenging walks. From there we went to Edinburgh for our last night before going home after 10 wonderful days. All through it has to be said we had super meals everywhere we went with great cooking and value all round. We hadn't realised though the need, even in October to book restaurants in Scotland, we know that now. Scotland was at its best with little or no rain and bright Autumnal weather a feature.

Rating for tour operator:

We asked Absolute Escapes (I picked them at random and boy was I lucky) to recommend and put together a self drive package that would allow us to tour Scotland, in particular the Highlands at a leisurely pace while at the same time maximising our holiday experience. They did this in spades. We wanted a high quality, good for value, B & B experience as we felt that this was the best way to get to the real Scotland and would be very affordable. We are thrilled with our package and they were very professional, courteous and friendly to deal with. At no point did we need to chase them, everything promised was delivered and exceeded our expectations, they are top class and a lovely team to deal with.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 26 Oct 2015:

Many thanks for your kind words Tommy, it's great to know our efforts were so appreciated! Good to hear you had such an enjoyable trip, it certainly sounds like you made the most of your time in the Highlands. Sine from our office visited the reindeer near Aviemore herself just a few weeks ago, she was quite a fan also! Kind Regards, James Fathers

Absolute Escapes by Highland Traveler, 21 Oct 2015
Holiday Rating:

Scotland By Rail

Absolute Escapes arranged a fabulous holiday experience for me and my long time travel buddy that took us by rail/ferry from Glasgow, to Fort William, to the Isle of Skye, up to Inverness and then back to Glasgow. It goes without saying that all the scenery was beautiful, but high points of the trip would have to be the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig and a full day touring on the Isle of Skye.

Absolute Escapes arranged a fabulous holiday experience for me and my long time travel buddy that took us by rail/ferry from Glasgow, to Fort William, to the Isle of Skye, up to Inverness and then back to Glasgow. It goes without saying that all the scenery was beautiful, but high points of the trip would have to be the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig and a full day touring on the Isle of Skye.

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes was prompt in responding to inquiries, flexible (they planned a tour based on our schedule), and kept us informed all the way through the booking process and made sure to touch base with updates during the time leading up to our trip. All of the accommodations exceeded our expectations, the scheduling and set up of transportation was perfect, and the suggestions of local restaurants, attractions, etc. were right on the money. Just cannot recommend AE enough to anyone who asks!

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 22 Oct 2015:

Thank you very much for your fantastic review, Michele. We are truly delighted that you enjoyed your time exploring Scotland so much! I also loved the Jacobite Steam Train - travelling over the Glenfinnan Viaduct is an unforgettable experience. Thank you too for recommending us to your friends - we really do appreciate that. Very best wishes, Scott Smyth