Martin Randall Travel Traveller Reviews

The touristic infrastructure of Sicily is very much a work in progress, but Martin Randall Travel smoothed the path for us as much as they feasibly could. Late 2017 / early 2018 visitors to Palermo’s Royal Palace should find time to see a spectacular exhibition of watercolours of Sicily by artist Fabrice Moireau. The only problem is finding the time in the busy itinerary to fit it in. The private evening visit to the Capella Palatina mosaics was very special, you get to see the mosaics in a way that you could not do in normal visitng hours. Best restaurant in Palermo is the family-run Maestro del Brodo, Via Pannieri 7, exceptional in all respects. Treat yourself to the wonderful family-run Hotel Villa Belvedere in Taormina. The British Ambassador to Rome and his delegation stayed here for G7, that says something, doesn’t it? We were treated to two visits to Palazzi that have been in the same aristocratic family for hundreds of years. The experience of Palazzo Pietratagliata, with the gracious Principessa Alliata greeting us and explaining her family history, whilst pressing glasses of prosecco and urging us to nibble titbits from a sumptuous spread laid out in the majestic dining room with its huge chandelier, was a rare privilege. The coach and taxi drivers employed on this tour were absolutely first class. Hiring a car in Sicily is to be avoided - virtually all privately-owned cars bear serious scars. With a tour like this you do get to live in a privileged bubble, but if you can go along with this and really want to see Sicily, then I would recommend Martin Randall as a firm to get you there.

Martin Randall Travel - very high standards and a scrupulous attention to detail. A safe environment for solo travellers, always the best possible options selected.

A week seeing as much as we could fit in. The city is mesmerising in its architecture, its construction, its history. Our tour covered the noted highlights with time to wander and revisit personal favourites. We travelled out of the city to special palaces and historic gardens. A week was not long enough. Perhaps another visit is required.

Our tour operator brought to life so many aspects of St. Petersburg’s architecture and history. His knowledge was vast but he was able to translate all this to heighten our understanding and enjoyment of visited sites.

Very well planned programme which came upto expectations. Excellent lecturer, who really knew his material and was able to put it across. Very good tour management

Exellent, as ever.

Gastronomic tour of Piedmont, Italy.

MRT - top of the range firm which delivers top of the range holidays.

A well-organised tour of significant religious foundations.

Everything went as planned and promised.

As with all Martin Randall Tours it was extremely well organised and thus stress free. It was a tour designed to understand the history of Albania from ancient times, Neolithic, until the present and the lecturer was quite excellent. In the ten days we visited many sites in the Southern part of the country and were able to begin to understand the complexity of the country which has so recently emerged from Communist oppression and obscurity. On the practical side Martin Randall pays great attention to the inner man and we were as a consequence well fed and well wined and accommodated in the best comfort available. Some of Albania's new boutique hotels are very good indeed. Not only was our lecturer very good and a delightful companion but so was our tour manager and our Albanian guide, the latter had all the competence and the assuredness of the very finest Warrant Officers, than which there is nothing better The coach driver, in a country full of narrow mountain roads and where motor vehicles are a relative novelty, ditches seemed popular with the local motorists, was superb. For those of us who were seriously interested in the history of a previously obscure but nevertheless important part of Europe, it was a revelation. The warmth at the end of September enabled us to to have breakfast dinner lunch and tea outside on many occasions, always a delight.

We have been on several Martin Randall tours to countries of great historical interest where a good guide, a good lecturer and and good manager can interest, inspire and relax you but where the political conditions, a strange language and other unknowns can deter the older traveller with limited time and a need of creature comforts. Martin Randall does this very well. It must be added that slacking is not permitted.

It is a week spent in and around Thuringia in north east Germany with visits to neighbouring states included. It was basically a history tour but added architecture, medieval towns and literature into the mix as well.

I have undertaken many Martin Randall tours and without exception they have all been excellent, from their office staff through to the tour itself, which is meticulously planned to the last detail. The participants are friendly and everything comes together to make it all a totally memorable experience.

We had 8 days in the country, 4 based in Bethlehem, 2 in Jericho and 2 in Jerusalem with an excellent team of a highly knowledgeable local guide, a great lecturer with many local connections and a totally together tour manager. The nature of the country is such that some items on the splendidly varied itinerary were closed but when this happened they were replaced at short notice with alternative delights. We experienced a mixture of exposure to the current state of Palestine, to the extraordinary pilgrimage culture in the region, and some much quieter and very special early archaeological sites plus great views, interesting hotels and good food. Highly recommended.

I have traveled with Martin Randal many times and plan to do so in future. The organisation is flawless, their people are always splendid and ready for anything. Standards are high and you are forewarned when local conditions may have a less than positive impact. Excellent.

It was a wonderful week spent in Umbria visiting many hill towns and following partly in the footsteps of St Francis. We spent the entire time based in the beautiful hill town of Spello, radiating out each day, to a new destination. The history, views, local food and wines all combined to make it a very memorable week.

I have undertaken many Martin Randall tours and without exception they have all been excellent, from their office staff through to the tour itself, which is meticulously planned to the last detail. The participants are friendly and everything comes together to make it all a totally memorable experience.

It was basically a pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of this great composer, from his birthplace in Eisenach, through his travels around Thuringia, finally finishing in Leipzig where he spent around 25 years until his death, as Kantor at the wonderful St Thomas' church.

I have undertaken many Martin Randall tours and without exception they have all been excellent, from their office staff through to the tour itself, which is meticulously planned to the last detail. The participants are friendly and everything comes together to make it all a totally memorable experience.