Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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40 Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Chloe Ford

Reviewed September 2018

Amazing trip

This trip gives you a really good taste of Albania. The country was quite different to how I expected and its an absolutely beautiful place. We packed a lot in, but it didn’t feel as if it was rushed. I would really love to go again!

Most Inspirational Moment

The majority of the places we visited were absolutely stunning. We also did a lot of extra stuff, like viewing additional churches and mosques, which had lovely frescos and were often situated in lovely villages. Having a mezze dinner with a local family was also a highlight. The food overall was very good and fresh. Having a swim in some hot springs was also lovely.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ed was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The advantage of having a local guide is that they know a lot of people and places, hence why we were able to do a lot of extra experiences.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely take mosquito repellant and bite cream. I didn't see any advice about taking any so didn't bother, but we all got eaten alive! It may have just been the time of year we went, but I wouldn't go again without. We didn't get much time in Tirana, just Sunday evening, so if you especially wanted to look around Tirana, it would be worth coming a bit earlier or staying on afterwards. If you are on the group flight, you don't need to exchange any money at the airport, our guide took us to do that on Sunday. The exchange rate was poorer in the airport too. There is a direct flight available which is a lot quicker, so that might be worth booking instead. The food and drink is very cheap, but I think I spent about £250 which is more than some people have commented, just because I tended to have an alcoholic drink at lunch as well as in the evening and ice creams here and there, so that is worth taking into consideration.

Suggestions

I got a lot of comments when I booked this trip about why I was going as it seems a bit of a 'strange' place to a lot of people to go and visit. I really wouldn't hesitate though. Albania is such an interesting and beautiful country and you see and learn a lot on this trip.

Elisabeth Miller

Reviewed August 2018

Highlights of Albania

Overall a very interesting and informative trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Swimming in Lake Ohrid and the fish meal, mezze meal with locals, historic houses seeing how people lived.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Klodian was very nice and knowledgeable about his country. He has a good sense of humour and a very friendly manner. He could have given us a bit more local information or directions to the nearest supermarkets or other shops from the hotels. Congratulations to Gheti the bus driver for keeping us safe. His reversing and negotiating of hair- pins was superb. A lovely guy!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book a direct flight if possible.

Suggestions

Far too much time was wasted waiting in restaurants for meals to arrive especially at lunchtime. Would have been better if we could look for our own lunch and meet up again at a set time. A quieter beach for swimming would have been nice. The music was deafening.

anita norman

Reviewed April 2018

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS

This trip really did exceed expectations. Much better than we thought it would be. Beautiful country, somewhere we knew nothing about, leaves you feeling you want to know more….

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to choose. The hotels were excellent as was the food.The mountains, the views, lake Ohrid, learning about the history of Albania,the 'blue eye' swimming in the natural springs, you can go on and on...Soft spot for Berat, beautiful place would like to have stayed longer. The hotel there was 5 star - excellent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Edjon 'Ed' everything you could possibly want in a guide. Knowledgeable and passionate about his country, warm, friendly and professional.You would be hard pushed to find a better guide. Excellent. A guide like Edjon makes you realise no matter have much you travel, how little you know....always things to learn, wonderful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't change too much money when you arrive. At the moment it is still very cheap here, especially in the mountains.If you have a few spare euros laying around it might be worth taking them with you as around Berat/Tirana prices are often priced in Euros ( exchange rate poor) but it might save you changing anymore cash into Lek later in the trip. A couple of the places we were down to visit as free to visit appear to be now charging a fee. Look at alternatives to the flight Exodus offer.

Suggestions

Couple of points: Exodus this is a great holiday. But I do have a couple of question for you : You recommended Broken April to read, an excellent book but this trip does not take you to the north so the book does not relate to this trip. This trip could be improved by including Shkoder Castle. Which would link in with the book and give a better overall view of Albania. Also more time in Tirana to visit the museums that would also give you a better understanding of the more recent history of this country as the trip is built more around their past history, not their most recent. Finally although the coastline is beautiful, the two places we stopped overnight on the coast could have been any Mediterranean holiday resort and that time could have been better spent at some of the other places like Shkoder/Tirans and Berat. These thoughts are just feedback, we loved this trip.

Sue Widdowson

Reviewed April 2018

Fabulous trip!

A guide book can only tell you so much and as I didn’t know anybody else who had been to Albania I really had no idea what to expect.

We had a fabulous tour guide, Edjon, which helped make this holiday one of the best I’ve done with Exodus. He knew everything about EVERYTHING Albanian and related the country’s history with knowledge and passion, and most importantly an understanding on long bus trips of when to leave his group in peace to doze!

The scenery is spectacular. I’ve never seen so many beautiful little churches and Gjirokaster and Kruge in particular were lovely.

Hotels and breakfasts were all of a good standard. None of the hotels had tea/coffee making facilities but all had hairdryers.
By day seven I still had money left from the £100 I’d changed into lek and that was after drinking wine with dinner every night!

It’s not all beautiful countryside, white stone buildings and UNESCO sites but so much of it is that it’s definitely a place worth visiting. I loved it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to name!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Far and away the best tour leader I’ve ever had.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a kettle

Vittoria Doyle

Reviewed April 2018

Comprehensive look at Albania

We travelled around most of Albania learning its history and seeing its wonderful scenery, eating the foods and meeting the people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Berat as we drove in. Just beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ed was amazing. His knowledge was exceptional. His enthiusiasm for his country took you along with it. Would love to travel with Ed again.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Its quite a tiring trip purely in terms of the fact that you have only one night in every place. But bus journeys are not exceptionally long. Maybe go a day beforehand, as some of our group did and see a bit more of Tirana.

Russell Millns

Reviewed April 2018

Albainia 2018

a brilliant trip giving us a great out look of the country going from city to villages mountains and the sea. the only criticism i have was the hotel in permeti was cold no heating but still a nice hotel. the guide which started the trip with was very helpful with the information about his country it was sad for him to find that his grandmother was very ill and had to leave us to go back to his family i send my regards to ed and his family .the second guide we had was again fantastic. the churches and icons are fantastic to look at ,the food was wonderful and vearied.a big thank you to our driver that took us around the country with great skill and he always had a smile on his face. overall veiw i have of the trip was the country of Albainia is a lovely place to go to and has changed my impressions
of the place and people

Most Inspirational Moment

going for a walk up the hill in permeti and seeing the church of saint mary and looking at the icons inside

Thoughts on Group Leader

both of our group leaders were brilliant

Advice for Potential Travellers

just go it will open your eyes to a wonderful country

Suggestions

Katherine Holt

Reviewed April 2018

Albania is a hidden gem!

This trip offers an excellent introduction to the varied and interesting country that is Albania. Amazing mountain vistas, coastal views, friendly mountain towns and authentic villages. Food is fantastic, wine is good and plentiful and raki also available in a range of ‘flavours’ for those who like it!

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed seeing long-forgotten frescos in churches previously abandoned during the communist era. I also found the concrete mushroom bunkers scattered everywhere a poignant reminder of the recent history of this amazing country.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two leaders as Ed unfortunately had to leave mid-way through. Ed - super passionate about his country, really gave a compelling impression of what it was like to live through recent history with stories of his family, friends (he has many...). I was really sad to lose him so soon. However Erion was an incredible replacement! He had to pick up half way through - a difficult job, but he is such a professional guy. Knowledgeable and able to explain complex subjects in a really clear way. I learnt a lot about Albania from Erion and he was also good company and very funny guy. I think we were lucky in the end to have two guides - Ed was very much 'heart and passion' and Erion was very much 'educator and friend'.