Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The complete silence for an hour that fell over 4 boys and a girl during the ceramic painting session.  From boisterous boys (and girly) to concentrated artists in the space of 5 minutes. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo was a star throughout our entire trip.  He was like your favourite Grandad and the Pied Piper all in one.  The children loved him and when naughtiness or tears appeared Eduardo was there before we could put our glass of wine down to sort them out.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of snacks for the children as it is busy days with not much time for stopping.  Don't expect time for coffee shops and retail therapy, Eduardo wants to show you as much of his beloved Amalfi Coast as he can in a week.

Suggestions

One of our best holidays and will be looking for something similar in the future.  The children must have enjoyed it as we caught them with the brochure planning their next holiday together.

Most Inspirational Moment

Enjoyed Pompeii and the beautiful villages on the Amalfi coast. The walk of the Gods was fantastic too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travel sickness pills/bands for boats and windy roads.

Suggestions

Weather can be misty in spring - hotel is up high so can be much cooler than on the coast.

Most Inspirational Moment

The view from the top of Vesuvius was amazing especially as despite the snow & ice we managed to get up to the crater and enjoy the views in the very welcome sunshine whilst eating our delicious packed lunch!The Amalfi coast was beautiful in the snow and the coastline view from Ravello was stunning even as the rain came down like spaghetti!The kids 'cooking slots' in the kitchens were excellent and now my daughter is converted to gnocchi, a bonus!  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo is a fantastic group leader and worked within the limitations that inclement weather and an 'off-peak' Italy threw us! His great knowledge of the area and people there helped enormously especially when we had our day in Naples! He took us around the narrow streets of Naples and we saw aspects of the Neapolitan way of life, even managing to get into the best pizza place in town without having to queue (pure fluke!).He took interest in all of us and even got the kids a football which certainly kept them entertained before supper each night. All in all a lovely guy who took great pride in this area and in ensuring we took away great memories of our trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring layers to cover all types of weather (though even the Italians were taken short by the snow!). Bring plenty of cash too as we seemed to spend quite a bit even though there weren't that many opportunities to spend it! Do try & visit Herculaneum as it's a gem even if you don't think you like archeology! We didn't use the audio guides but in hindsight maybe we should have. However, if that doesn't appeal then head into Naples which has the most amazing subterranean tunnels built by the Greeks plus the most amazing pizza place in town!

Suggestions

This is a fantastic introduction to this part of Italy and a lot is packed in to the week. It certainly inspires another visit in more clement weather although it was rather nice not having to fight with the crowds as it can get busy later in the year.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were several:1) Pompeii - just walking down the streets after our time with the guide, saying "Imagine coming out of this house and going to the bakers next door", now that we knew that's exactly what they were.2) Arriving at Vesuvius after horrendous rain to find the clouds had cleared and we had the full view of both the bay and the crater when we reached the top!3) Doing part of the "Walk of the Gods" and having lunch along the way to the sound of a herd of goats nearby4) The view from the top at Ana Capri - simply stunning!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suzy was a great leader, particularly with the children! She was able to keep them all going even when energy was flagging and it was amazing how brilliantly they all bonded together - in fact, some days we hardly saw our children. Suzy had a lot of local knowledge and was very keen to show us her favourite places everywhere we went; sometimes it would have been better if she had curtailed her enthusiasm slightly and given us more time to explore at our own pace! But overall she was excellent and you certainly couldn't fault her dedication.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have cash rather than thinking you will be able to rely on cards; the only time we paid by card was the final bill at the hotel but we did end up having to find bank ATMs several times. Several places specifically asked for cash when cards were produced, despite having the usual card signs displayed. All the families in our group had the same experience. You will need more cash than you might imagine, for example our Capri day cost our family well over 100 Euros and we didn't buy anything in the shops or go on a boat trip.If you go at the end of the season, as we did, be well prepared for rain!If you get the chance to go to Herculaneum, do go - we weren't able to as the weather on our free day was horrendous, but the walking holiday group staying at the same time as us went when the weather was better and said it was even better than Pompeii. 

Suggestions

We're really glad we went and we all definitely want to go back to the region again - we would revisit Amalfi, Pompeii and Capri and add Herculaneum and Sorrento.

Most Inspirational Moment

Eduardo makes this trip so special because he knows the area so well, our trip to Capri was amazing and the walk of the God's was stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo made sure we saw the best of everything on the trip and really looked after us very well. We also had an extra week in Italy, and during that time he made suggestions of where to go, where to eat and sorted out bus transfers for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you have time whilst waiting for the transfer back on the bus from one of the boat trips, pop into Amalfi town and have a glass of prosecco and watch the sun go down on the Cathedral.

Suggestions

This is a beautiful part of Italy and we had some wonderful days out. We had a good group, the children mixed well, as did the adults. It was great fun watching the children making pasta and pizza, I have no idea how we managed to consume so much food, but we did and it was all delicious.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our 8 year old son would say watching football with the Italian family who owned the hotel! We particularly enjoyed the walk of the gods and the superb barbecue, visiting Pompeii, and swimming in the sea with the beautiful background of Positano.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Paula could not have done more for us. She even came with us on her day off to show us round Naples! She was very enthusiastic. She got on well with everyone and ensured we all gelled together. She was very informative and great fun. Paula got on well with the children and ensured that they were well catered for. We would recommend her most highly and would be interested in undertaking other tours she may lead.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Relax, go with the flow, take lots of cash with you to pay tips etc.

Suggestions

This being the first holiday of this type that we had undertaken we did not know quite what to expect. We had a fabulous time with lots of excellent experiences, but also time to relax on the beach. The family that run the hotel were great, meeting everyone's needs, in particular making our 8 year old football mad son part of their family. The food was excellent, with the hotel able to cater for a diverse range of needs and happy to change dishes for children if necessary. If you are thinking of booking this holiday do it - you won't regret it!

Most Inspirational Moment

The Walk of the Gods was a particular highlight.  A really good day out, a nice easy walk, followed by a BBQ at one of the most scenic, rustic places I have ever been.  Good food and great wine (for the adults!!).  We walked on a bit and around each corner there was another view.  Pompeii and Herculaneum were also really good.  We would recommend taking the option of Herculaneum and Ravello on the free day.  Herculaneum offers a different perspective to the 79AD eruption and the views from Ravello were breath taking.  The food in Ravello was great with the owner coming out to make sure we were happy and bringing a little extra something for the kids each time she came out!Tile painting and pizza making were highlights for the kids – who now have their own ‘Pizza Certificate’.  The owners of the hotel took us into the kitchens a few times and showed us their style of cooking.  The kids loved the banging noises they made when making pizzas.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo was like a grandparent to the kids and made sure they were safe and happy.  When we got to the hotel he took them off for a game of football and we relaxed with a glass or two of wine!  A good start to the holiday!  He made the holiday special for the kids and with out his inside knowledge we would have missed a lot of experiences out.  Thank you Eduardo.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go to Herculaneum, you will enjoy it and it takes about 2 to 3 hours to go around with lots of places for shade.Do not be afraid to ask to do different things, if you do not want to spend a few hours on the beach, say so and walk around the town or if you want to spend more time on the beach say so.  It is your holiday and Eduardo will be happy to accommodate you.

Most Inspirational Moment

Doing the 'walk of the Gods' with the most breathtaking views. Our reward for reaching the top was to eat a wonderful village feast prepared by one of our Eduardo's friends on the veranda of his 200 year old stone cottage.  Pompei was also amazing. The most intact Roman ruin I have ever seen with breathtaking views of Mount Vesuvius.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo is a fantastic leader, a very warm character, great with the chilldren and adults alike. He knows everyone in the village - or so it seemed. He guided us all week and dined with us every evening. A wonderful person. I have nominated him for a leader award.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take some layers as we had one or two chilly days but generally the weather was great.For those who don't travel well (like me): be prepared for windy coastal roads and some choppy boat journeys.

Suggestions

The hotel we stayed at was great. Run by two brothers and their familes we were made to feel very welcome. Food was lovely.