AITO: The Association of Independent Tour Operators
Absolute Escapes

Absolute Escapes Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Absolute Escapes

Overall Company Rating
99%
Excellent 765
Good 21
Average 4
Poor 1
Terrible 0
Reviews Submitted: 791
Reviews Accepted: 791
Reviews Rejected: 0
791 reviews
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Absolute Escapes by Debs G, 16 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Every thing we hoped for

Best holiday in ages. Organisation of the holiday by absolute escapes was flawless; excellent communication and very memorable accommodation. So grateful that hey were able to change arrangements at short notice

Best holiday in ages. Organisation of the holiday by absolute escapes was flawless; excellent communication and very memorable accommodation. So grateful that hey were able to change arrangements at short notice

Rating for tour operator:

Excellent and very helpful

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Thank you for your review, Deborah, and for your kind words - we really appreciate your comments and we're just glad we were able to help you have such a memorable holiday. Andy Gabe

Absolute Escapes by pini, 16 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

GREAT WALK- GREAT COMPANY

WE WERE 8 ADULTS, WALKING 150km FROM DRYMEN TO FORT WILLIAM. WEATHER WAS VERY RAINY, BUT THE WEST HIGLAND WAY TREK WAS VERY "FIENDLY". ABOVE ALL, WE ENJOID A PERFECT SUPPLY OF ACCOMODATION BOOKING AND BAGGAGE TRANSFER BY ABSOLUTE ESCAPES.

WE WERE 8 ADULTS, WALKING 150km FROM DRYMEN TO FORT WILLIAM. WEATHER WAS VERY RAINY, BUT THE WEST HIGLAND WAY TREK WAS VERY "FIENDLY". ABOVE ALL, WE ENJOID A PERFECT SUPPLY OF ACCOMODATION BOOKING AND BAGGAGE TRANSFER BY ABSOLUTE ESCAPES.

Rating for tour operator:

Andy and his team, manage to find the best B&B along the route, and gave us a pefect "back office" assistance.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Thank you very much for your review, Pini, and for sending us the wonderful photos which are now on our Facebook page. You certainly looked like you were enjoying yourselves and we were only too pleased that we could assist you with the arrangements. Best wishes, Andy Gabe

Absolute Escapes by Ali, 15 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Hadrian Wall Walk

We had a g0od trip. All the arrangements went very well and I really liked all the places we stayed. Overall as a long distance walk my son and I preferred the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way but that is personal preference as we have decided we like the more remote places

We had a g0od trip. All the arrangements went very well and I really liked all the places we stayed. Overall as a long distance walk my son and I preferred the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way but that is personal preference as we have decided we like the more remote places

Rating for tour operator:

Everything organised very well and this made our trip hassle free and very enjoyable

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Thank you for your feedback after your walk along Hadrian's Wall Path. We were delighted to hear that the arrangements went well. Its always interesting to compare long distance trails, and I think you're right that the relative remoteness of the West Highland Way and Great Glen Way is really something quite special. I think the Hadrian's Wall Path offers something quite different, and the Roman sites really bring the trail to life and give you a real sense of walking through history. Thank you once again for your review. Andy Gabe

Absolute Escapes by KatieD, 15 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

A Family WalkAbout

We walked the Great Glen Way with the assistance of Absolute Escapes and we couldn't have done it without them. We never had to worry about our luggage or the booking of the B&Bs. They sent a number of preparation materials including our itinerary, a recommended list of packing items, and a list of contact information for transportation and emergencies. The itinerary was detailed and also included suggestions for meals. It was truly a beautiful ...

We walked the Great Glen Way with the assistance of Absolute Escapes and we couldn't have done it without them. We never had to worry about our luggage or the booking of the B&Bs. They sent a number of preparation materials including our itinerary, a recommended list of packing items, and a list of contact information for transportation and emergencies. The itinerary was detailed and also included suggestions for meals. It was truly a beautiful walk and we didn't have any problems following the trail markers and the directions in the itinerary. The mileage listed on the itinerary was a little off each day, usually a few more miles than we were told, based on our GPS and pedometers. In addition, the pick up location in Invergarry required a phone box that didn't exist. We were lucky that a local hotel let us use their phone to call our B&B to pick us up. We also didn't realize that the toilet keys could only be picked up on each end of the walk but it didn't matter anyway since there really aren't that many available toilets on the walk. Note: We definitely suggest using Marc Ronald at Fort Augustus Cabs and Appin House. He was incredibly helpful and was available to drive one of us around when we were injured. I hope the tour incorporates him, his B&B, and his cab service into their planning.

Rating for tour operator:

See above

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Many thanks for your comments on the Great Glen Way - we were thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your walk so much.

We appreciate you letting us know there is no longer a public phone box at the Great Glen Water Park in Laggan. It would appear that they have got rid of this recently, and we have now updated our notes on this. Our apologies that this caused you a bit of confusion at the end of your day's walk.

A huge thank you too for taking the time to send through your fantastic photos separately - we will be posting some of these up on our Facebook page in the next few days.

Scott Smyth

Absolute Escapes by Strac, 14 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

A great experience

Walking the West Highland Way through some of Scotlands wonderful scenery.I would recommend it to anyone who likes walking long distance.Some sections of the walk were hard going but we had a great sense of achievement when we finally reached Fort William. We met some terrific fellow travellers from other countries and had a great time at the end of each day swapping stories of our walk.Of course there was rain and midges but also sunshine...

Walking the West Highland Way through some of Scotlands wonderful scenery.I would recommend it to anyone who likes walking long distance.Some sections of the walk were hard going but we had a great sense of achievement when we finally reached Fort William. We met some terrific fellow travellers from other countries and had a great time at the end of each day swapping stories of our walk.Of course there was rain and midges but also sunshine. Come prepared and you'll have a great experience.

Rating for tour operator:

From the start they organised everything and supplied us with the information needed to complete the walk. Couldn't have asked for any more.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Thank you very much for your review - we were delighted to hear that you enjoyed the West Highland Way so much. The pubs full of walkers do have a great atmosphere at the end of each days with everybody going through the same experience together. Thank you again for taking the time to leave a review, and please do let us know if we can ever tempt into another walking holiday in the future! Scott Smyth

Absolute Escapes by barbershopgel, 14 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Walking tour along deserted beaches, stunning world class scenery

Stunning scenery, deserted beaches - only met 3 people in peak season on days 1 and 2. Great food in recommended restaurants. Good organisation from tour operator, helpful instructions, some excellent accommodation (Finn McCools in Bushmills) and some flaky (Fullerton Arms, Ballycastle) - live music till 1am under room, poor communication (left waiting in bar for 45 mins for communication on whether could check-in early after 9 mile walk in ...

Stunning scenery, deserted beaches - only met 3 people in peak season on days 1 and 2. Great food in recommended restaurants. Good organisation from tour operator, helpful instructions, some excellent accommodation (Finn McCools in Bushmills) and some flaky (Fullerton Arms, Ballycastle) - live music till 1am under room, poor communication (left waiting in bar for 45 mins for communication on whether could check-in early after 9 mile walk in wet clothes) and despite me checking with receptionist all was ok, failed to transfer luggage or chase what they should do till I chased them. Strongly recommned against them. Day one suggested route (from guidebook) is almost wholly along main road with no pavement, - was helped to devise alternative route by B&B on day one which was great. Other days routes were stunning.

Rating for tour operator:

Good organisation, good maps, helpful map and guidebook, helpful help on phone out of hours when problem with luggage transfer. Suggest change of route on day one (see above). Some very good simple accommodation, but not all great.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Thank you for your feedback for your walk along the Causeway Coast Way. I have contacted you separately regarding the Fullerton Arms in Ballycastle. We are delighted that you enjoyed the stunning scenery and that you had an enjoyable time exploring Northern Ireland. Scott Smyth

Absolute Escapes by Ullibulli, 14 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Hello Scott, we just came back today ( we had another nine days in Glasgow). Thank you for your help. The Guesthouses all (!) have been very, very good.The quality of the rooms and the people who run these houses. Locranza and Whiting Bay were the nicest places , but no place was bad. We decided already at the beginnng of our tour, not to follow your proposals were you had suggested, to go on the road. Sure , there is not much traffic, but ...

Hello Scott, we just came back today ( we had another nine days in Glasgow). Thank you for your help. The Guesthouses all (!) have been very, very good.The quality of the rooms and the people who run these houses. Locranza and Whiting Bay were the nicest places , but no place was bad. We decided already at the beginnng of our tour, not to follow your proposals were you had suggested, to go on the road. Sure , there is not much traffic, but it's defenitely not calm and not amusing ( even without any cars). It' s better to take the bus where there is no path. So for example we walked from Lochranza over the Hill to the coastroad (Catacole) and took the bus to the point (near Tormeore) where you go to the Kings Caves. On our way from Brodick to Lochranza we took the bus for Lochranza in Sannox , but the next day we did not continue there. We went from Lochranza to Laggan and back across the hill to Lochranza.the Another point: I suggest that you ask people, who contact you, how old they are ( in our case: 66 and 63). The length of the stages should have a relation to the age. So you can offer more preciseley the dayly tours in correlation to the power of teh people. For example : we took the bus from Sliddery to Lagg, because it was exhausting along the coast after a rainy day and we went by bus from Lagg to Kilonan when we were on the way to Whiting bay. This only to give you an idea of our thoughts. Taken together all things we appreciated the tour. Thanks for your help . All the best for you, U.

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes did a good job, everything was ok.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 18 Aug 2015:

Many thanks for your comments. We really appreciate you taking the time to provide us with feedback on the Arran Coastal Way. Best wishes, Scott Smyth

Absolute Escapes by TXWV, 14 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Absolute escapes made our holiday worry free & fabulous!!!

Our weather was not the best along our 8 day walk. It was very rainy (heavy rain) and pretty chilly, but we rarely noticed because everything else - lodging, fellow walkers, amazing scenery, and professionalism of Absolute Escapes made the journey so pleasurable. Our favorite lodging was at Bridge of Orchy Hotel and in Fort William Crollinnhe B & B. We were amazed by the hospitality at all our stays. The lodging each day and having our luggage ...

Our weather was not the best along our 8 day walk. It was very rainy (heavy rain) and pretty chilly, but we rarely noticed because everything else - lodging, fellow walkers, amazing scenery, and professionalism of Absolute Escapes made the journey so pleasurable. Our favorite lodging was at Bridge of Orchy Hotel and in Fort William Crollinnhe B & B. We were amazed by the hospitality at all our stays. The lodging each day and having our luggage delivered made this such a pleasurable stroll!

Rating for tour operator:

Worry free, professional, and great to work with. I was overwhelmed by all the different operators and SO happy with my choice. I never had to wait on my luggage or stay in a mediocre place. I was so pleased the entire Way!

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 14 Aug 2015:

Thank you very much for your feedback. We are delighted that you enjoyed your walk along the West Highland Way so much, and that the temperamental weather this summer did not detract from beautiful scenery. We sincerely appreciate your kind words about our company, and please do let us know if we can ever tempt you back over from North Carolina to the UK for another walking adventure! Best wishes, Scott Smyth

Absolute Escapes by Sarah&David, 14 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

Splendid walk on St. Cuthbert's Way

We had a fabulous time on our walk. The baggage transfer worked well and the B&Bs were excellent.

We had a fabulous time on our walk. The baggage transfer worked well and the B&Bs were excellent.

Rating for tour operator:

Absolute Escapes.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 14 Aug 2015:

Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review - we're thrilled that you enjoyed your walk on the St Cuthbert's Way so much! Scott Smyth

Absolute Escapes by Hiker Girl, 10 Aug 2015
Holiday Rating:

West Highland way in 5 days

West Highland way in 5 days with a good scedule and information for every day.

West Highland way in 5 days with a good scedule and information for every day.

Rating for tour operator:

They've been very kind and helpful in every way. Especially when it's my first time being in Scotland.

Absolute Escapes responded to this review on 12 Aug 2015:

Many thanks for your review, and we were delighted to hear that you enjoyed your walk on the West Highland Way. Andy Gabe