Gold Medal Travel Group Avis 

Always super helpful and their Knowledge is incredible - Tom is a credit to the company and we always use him for our bookings where possible.

Amy was great. Knowledgeable, quick to respond and made all the tweaks and changes effortlessly.

Very competitive travel company. I was amazed at how competitive they were and still everything has gone as planned. Tour of Sri Lanka was wonderful, met at airport by driver/guide all hotels wonderful. Move onto Maldives perfect and final leg in Dubai perfect. Thank you

I spoke to Warren at Cruise Plus regarding an Arctic Expedition cruise of which I had very little experience on. As he was about to embark on an Arctic cruise himself he was very knowledgeable and super helpful with securing this booking at the right price.

Shahina was absolutely amazing with the Florida booking i made with her. She had so much patience. Thank you again.

Long story short, we had a large group looking to book Mexico. We've been back and forth with other agents and Rachel M was extremely helpful, answered all our questions (we had lots!).
She was so patient with us especially as we had complicated names and different room types needing booked.

Thank you so much
Courtney

Staff at Gold Medal are always fast and friendly, booked a holiday with Megan and Georgina at the Australasia team and they were fantastic, went through every detail and made the booking process nice and easy.

Great dealing with Heather, best price too :)

Kaelan is great with his knowledge and helped me book one of our customers on a lovely Japan itinerary and was always happy to help and find the best deal he could, thank you for you patience and time.

Canvey island TUI

Your TUI holiday reference is: 27411941

Our venture was shockingly poor. This was my complaint to them when I returned following my complaint whilst we were over there -

Following our recent holiday to Thailand, we feel compelled to make a formal complaint regarding the unacceptable experience we endured across the three hotels you arranged for our 11-day stay. We are requesting full reimbursement for the hotel we were forced to change, as well as compensation for the significant stress and inconvenience caused.

This holiday was booked in person at TUI with very specific requirements. It was intended as a celebration of our 60th birthdays and a chance for me to recover following open heart surgery and an extended stay in hospital (December 3rd to January 28th). I made it very clear that we needed a decent, peaceful, child-free hotel either on or very close to a beach. I stressed these points throughout the booking process, which is why I chose to visit a branch in person rather than booking online.

Upon arrival at our first hotel, The Sis Kata Resort, we were exhausted from our long flight and transfer. Unfortunately, the experience was far from what we expected. The initial room smelled strongly of sewage and damp, making it completely unsuitable. After much back-and-forth and three different rooms, we were eventually moved to a room that was acceptable — but only after considerable distress and waiting around. The hotel itself was otherwise pleasant and quiet, aligning with what we had asked for.

Sadly, matters deteriorated further at the second hotel, Centara Life Phu Pano Resort. After a 3.5-hour transfer, we arrived to complete chaos at reception with no representative from TUI or Gold Medal to meet us. The hotel was overrun with groups and children — completely the opposite of what we specifically requested — and the facilities were entirely inadequate. There were hygiene concerns in the dining area, strong smells of damp in the rooms, and constant noise throughout the hotel.

Despite raising our concerns with reception, no alternative rooms were available and attempts to escalate the matter through your representatives led nowhere. We were advised by your local contact to send a message, which he would forward to the complaints team — but no further contact was ever made. We were completely abandoned to sort matters out ourselves, which we find extremely disappointing. Ultimately, we were forced to book ourselves into another hotel at a cost of over £250, just to stay somewhere clean and safe.

The final hotel, The Waters Khao Lak, also failed to meet basic expectations. Despite paying for an upgrade, we were initially given a room that was dirty, damp, and furnished with stained, tired furniture. Only after several complaints and room changes were we given an acceptable room in a newer block. However, the general condition of the hotel was poor, food hygiene was questionable, and many other guests were also complaining and being pressured to pay for upgrades.

In summary, the holiday we were sold — a once-in-a-lifetime celebration and recovery trip — turned into an exhausting and stressful ordeal. We were consistently let down by both the accommodation provided and the complete lack of local support. The hotels in no way reflected the quality shown in your brochures, and were certainly not 4-star standard. We feel utterly disappointed and misled.

We therefore respectfully request:

Full reimbursement of the additional hotel costs we had to pay.

Compensation for the significant inconvenience, distress, and disruption caused throughout our holiday.

We trusted TUI and Gold Medal to deliver the holiday we carefully planned and paid for. Unfortunately, our experience fell far below the standard that any customer should expect.

We have attached some pictures and communication with the local agent in relation to the hotels. I also have video evidence which I can produce if necessary.

We look forward to hearing from you promptly and resolving this matter satisfactorily.

Their response was in so many words... how awful but we are not giving you what you want. I appealed this to no avail and now have been advised by TUI to go to ABTA mediation.

USELESS company.

10th June - 07.53 - Booking Ref - GP88FIY

Thanks for your response but it is laughable because I have written to you on two separate occasions the first to complain and the second letter to appeal you rejecting my application for a refund and compensation. I am now having to write and complain to ABTA, which is more inconvenience! Your company is so terrible... I am stuck for words. All I can say is I will be seeing this through to the very end because your company did NOT provide me with a holiday I paid for.

Recently done a booking with yourselves and every person I spoke to was so incredibly helpful. Every question I asked was promptly answered and I felt like I got the best service possible. Thank you!

Nicola at gold medal was fantastic at booking this twin destination disney holiday very patient and very informative during the booking process.

I was very disappointed with our holiday overall to Bali. We paid a good price but had a holiday spoilt by Gold Medal's choice of hotel and not really enough information given before we went to whether this was a suitable. Hotel had amenities not available which was stated on website. Location was bad and not really ideal for a two week vacation. Room only but still didn't expect Bali Belly on 2 day. No acknowledgement to rat problem of vermin around restaurant in the evening even though we sent proof with a video. Big Health and safety issue there. The holiday was meant to be for a special birthday but didn't leave us with happy memories of Bali. Complained twice with concerns and photo's but no offer of any compensation what's so ever. Not really interested. Would never trust and book with Gold Medal again, once was enough.

Megan H helped me book a holiday to Sri Lanka for some guests, she was patient with me and made sure to get everything spot on for my guest. She gives amazing service and I will go back to her in future

Great service from Laura Grunewald, really helpful and great price with the airfare, which secured the booking, will always call Gold Medal first in future. Many thanks

I always book with Jon Perry at
Pure Luxury Gold Medal Travel.
He is super efficient and quick putting quotes together
and keeps me updated.

Have been booking with Goldmedal for decades - when we used to know them as AFB!

I even trust them for my own trips not just clients and have always booked and always will with Chris Knowles aka Luke....we both work the same way and know what is best all round....top bloke.

Joanna was very professional and quick at responding. A great help with getting the group booked.

This was the travel agent used by eshores to arrange our tour in Sri Lanka. The tour didn't meet our expectations at all. Disappointed experience.

We use gold medal for a lot of our bookings
Always helpful and friendly
Thank you

The Vacay