SmoothRed Avis 217

Hi Adam

We’re just home having stayed over in London on Thursday.
We had an Incredible few days and kept a bit of a blog using your app.
I’ve put my thoughts below.

Many Thanks
Steve

Day 1 - Picked up by Chris who told us the local history of the area and showed us the viaducts built that are still in use by the bluebell railway. Then we talked about English wine and Kingscote.

We were introduced to Lynda, who gave us a superb tour of the vineyard talked us through the history of the vineyard.
We tasted several of the wines they produce and first time we’d tasted Bacchus wine. Which was the favourite of the day.
We ended the day drinking few wines and tasting Brighton blue Truffle ewe and local cheeses.
Gorgeous stuff.

Day 2 we set off with Martin to tour 3 vineyards

First up was Hidden springs, where we met Dave & Chris who started their adventure in 2016 (I think)
Thoroughly enjoyable and informative talk, that ventured into a chat where we learnt about the history of Hidden springs and why they started the business.
Loved the Bacchus again as well as their classic Cuvée.

Next was Bluebell estate & had a Blanc de blanc Rose and even a Chardonnay I admit to enjoying.
The young woman was great - sorry can’t recall her name. Favourite wine one here was their Hindleap ruby.

Moved onto Artelium estate for a chilled chat on wine & growth of English vineyards with Martin and the woman showing us round. We tasted three more wines where our favourite was their Chardonnay.

I’d say most enjoyable vineyard was Kingscote and enjoyable discussion with Chris from Hidden Springs.

The staff of SmoothRed created an amazing vacation for us. Due to COVID, our planned graduation trip in May of 2020, turned into a trip in July of 2021. We had planned to spend time in Paris and London, but, again, due to COVID, we stayed in France for our 10-day trip.

We began the process by talking about our family's interests and desires given this being our first trip to Europe. The itinerary they created matched our desires perfectly. We made a few tweaks and they did a great job accommodating those changes.

The tour guides were very professional and fun to be around. The drivers were very professional and helpful. The experiences they arranged were all first-rate.

We will use SmoothRed again, for our next trip to Europe.

This was an excellent short trip. The hotel, selected by SmoothRed, suited us well. Our vineyard visits were arranged with much attention to detail. Our local guide was knowledgeable and added much interest to our car journeys. Also, nothing was too much trouble for him. Now we feel we have a greater appreciation of English wine. We would certainly choose SmoothRed when we travel again as they were so helpful in meeting our wishes.

We are home safe, and almost over jet lag! We loved our trip! Honestly it’s hard to pick a favorite, as each stop was lovely and offered its own charm and secrets. The hotels were all great, and we were upgraded at most of them. We loved the hike, as we are big hikers, and the cooking classes and demonstrations were fun!! I do have to say our guides were excellent!! They were all so fun and knowledgeable in their regions and expertise. Any snags we had SmoothRed handled in a timely and professional manner. Will use SmoothRed again and highly recommend this company.

SmoothRed organised a week of wine tours in Hampshire, Sussex and Kent for us and the whole trip was a delight from the interesting and luxurious accommodation at Hotel du Vin (Winchester), The Wingrove Hotel (Alfriston) and Saltcote Place (Rye) to the knowledgeable wine tour guides and the wide variety of wine estates we visited. It was fascinating to meet so many people who have come into viniculture by many different routes and are all so passionate about wine making and delighted that their wines are now receiving gold and silver awards in international competitions. Which was our favourite vineyard? Impossible to say, but from the one acre Berrygarden vineyard to the large Chapel Down vineyard we were warmly welcomed and treated to some great wines. We discovered the bacchus grape and returned home laden with a wide variety of wines and 'fizz' to be drunk on many different occasions. Many thanks Adam and Marieke for arranging everything for us.

Thank you to Adam and SmoothRed for our last minute trip that was perfectly put together!
Our weekend trip included a 2 night stay in Alfriston with visits to Hidden Springs Vineyard and Bluebell Vineyard Estates.
The very recent opening of The Star (Hotel) gave us a chance to enjoy the wonderful mix of a new guest suite with the charm of centuries old dining areas. The outdoor space in the center of the buildings was very enjoyable on our morning of sunshine.
The wineries were each unique and provided a fun day to sample British wine and learn about the process. The final stop was for lunch at Beaver Brook Hotel. A delicious way to end the weekend.
Our driver (Chris) for the whole weekend was outstanding. He made the travel easy, flexible and informative.

From start to finish Adam created an itinerary around what we wanted and was the right blend of relaxing and busy.
The wineries of Sussex were not something we knew about but we do now.
Great food, especially interlude for a 15 course Michelin starred meal, and great tours. Our guide, Martin was knowledgable and fun.
The spa at south lodge was the icing on the cake. Finishing with a beautiful meal at Beaverbrook on the way home meant the short trip extended into the last day.
We felt looked after and would highly recommend smooth red

Another fantastic trip with Smooth Red - this time visiting the vineyards in the Cotswolds .As usual Smooth Red had taken care of every little detail . I was especially impressed at how much effort had been made to make sure my daughter’s vegan diet was catered for . I’m looking forward to our next trip with Smooth Red as soon as possible .

Our mini break to the Champagne region could not have been better. Adam and the team at SmoothRed were great from start to finish, tailored everything to our needs and helped deliver a fantastic wine and food extravaganza! Would not hesitate to recommend SmoothRed.

I was fortunate enough to travel to Champagne with my father and brother for a SmoothRed Champagne Tour. The experience was exceptional from start to finish. The booking was made incredibly easy thanks to the wonderful staff at SmoothRed. The itinerary was agreed based on the advice and recommendations we received and the trip was effortless from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. The restaurants were fantastic and the drink (obviously) amazing. The highlight for us was seeing a number of the Champagne houses, not just the big ones but also the smaller boutique ones. I would highly recommend SmoothRed.

Our family trip to France with SmoothRed was fantastic. We covered a lot of ground - Paris, Normandy, Brittany, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, Champagne, and back to Paris. All of the guides were excellent - they knew their respective locations very well and they were also very friendly and thoughtful to our family. The recommendation to have our guides and/or drivers take us from place to place was a great one. It made the trip very relaxing and stress free. The hotels/chateau's that we stayed at were very nice. We enjoyed the fact that they were each very unique and we looked forward to seeing what our next location was like. All 5 of us really loved the trip and it will always be a wonderful memory. It was the trip of a lifetime. I have already strongly recommended SmoothRed to others.

Our trip to France with SmoothRed was absolutely memorable! We experienced Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and the French Riviera over the course of 2 weeks and each location was a unique mini-vacation on it's own. This travel team did a phenomenal job at selecting hotels that truly encapsulated the feel of the city. They also coordinated the transport (both by air and train) along with drivers at each destination that were all professional and courteous. The team's recommended excursions were also spot on. Personalized and private wine tours with wine experts in Bordeaux, Lyon and Nice, a cooking class in Paris and even a ride in a Ferrari when we did a day trip to Monte Carlo! I can't say how important it is to speak with the agency when creating an itinerary because its important that they really know how you want to spend your vacation. Communication was also phenomenal before and during the trip to help with anything. The mark of a great agency is being available and responsive during the trip and they nailed that part perfectly. The itinerary was clear, well documented with contact info at every step (if needed). Tour guides were all extremely knowledgeable and genuinely fun to be around too.
The cooking class in Paris was run by a Chef who was a delight to be around. He was beyond knowledgeable in the kitchen but also engaging. I learned more in that class than any other cooking class I've ever taken.
Our food-walking tour in Lyon was with our guide who was absolutely amazing.
We had a tour of Nice, Cannes and St. Paul de Vence with our guide, who provided a hilarious 'no filter' tour. That day, we also took a ferry to Lerins Island for lunch. The Island is known for it's ancient monastery and vineyard where monks still make their own wine.
Drinking out of the barrel and walking in the vineyards during the wine tours. The spa resort in Bordeaux is the perfect blend of luxury spa and rustic country living. Going to Monte Carlo Casino in a Ferrari. You couldn't help but feel like James Bond.Dinner at the number 1 rated restaurant in the world. SmoothRed helped us snag a table for the ultimate bucket-list dinner that capped the trip in perfect style.

Many thanks for organizing a stunning Bordeaux wine tour for my 50th. Everything ran like clockwork. All of the drivers were superb. Always very prompt, friendly, knowledgeable.
Saturday was a real highlight. Xavier's wine tour was brilliant - it felt at times as if we had the whole of the left bank to ourselves. Seeing so many of the top chateaux and combined with Xavier's knowledge was a real education bringing some of the wines we have at home to life. Du Tertre delivered a great tour and a great collection of wines for tasting.
Nothing though could be compared to the 3.5 hours in Nicholas' capable hands at Pichon Baron. It felt like we had the "keys to the chateau" for the day - an amazing visit and what an unbelievably great host. The tasting was exceptional but nothing quite prepared us for the lunch and the 2005, 2003 and 1990 Pichon. An experience that is right up there in my top 10.
Thank you once again for delivering "more than it said on the tin"

Great trip well organised some minor glitches but certainly a very enjoyable weekend

We have booked through Smooth Red a few times. Booking through them guarantees you a fantastic holiday. They know of establishments and places you would never be able to find yourself. And then there are the special touches....that contribute to your trip being even more fabulous. And where ever you travel to they work with fantastic partners.
Even though I am a travel agent myself I book through Adam and his team. I just don't know of all these places they have already discovered.
Can't wait to travel again!

I have been involved with several groups for SmoothRed and have been super-impressed every time. Their attention to detail is outstanding and they seem to be able to preempt anything that might prove awkward. They also have excellent relationships not just with the wine producers they visit but also with the local hotels, restaurants, transport companies, etc. It is clear that such travel partners as these also hold SmoothRed in high regard - it is quite evident that they enjoy working with them.

From our first trip with SmoothRed we were hooked. We’d never been on one like it, no tourist traps or overly-trodden routes, just unique experience after unique experience, all worked in together with a real understanding of what made each place special. Adam and his team now know us so well we just say where we fancy heading and trust in the itinerary - they always deliver and somehow leave room for us to discover things ourselves. Couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

A group of 49 members of the Worshipful Company of Horners (a City Livery Company) and their partners visited Beaune and Dijon in an excellent tour organised by SmoothRed. It was the second trip we had undertaken with SmoothRed, the first being to Bordeaux in 2016. Thanks to a lot of preparation and local knowledge on the part of the SmoothRed team and close collaboration on our side, everything worked perfectly. The choice of hotel in Beaune was just right for that group, having a reasonable amount of "character", but with modern rooms and being an easy walk from most places of interest. We visited vineyards, interesting historical venues, a mustard factory and enjoyed some splendid meals. It was just the right mixture of history, culture, food and wine. The itinerary choices could not be faulted. The guide on the ground was simply splendid and coped with few little things which might have posed problems, but which most of the group did not notice. She certainly went the extra mile when needed. The entire group enjoyed themselves enormously. SmoothRed also helped my wife and I with a couple of earlier personal visits, partly as reconnaissance which was well worth the effort. I cannot recommend them too strongly.

‘Adam organised us a great trip at very short notice. The admin was impeccable. Our tour of English vineyards did indeed run very smoothly, we had a great time. We’re wine lovers and really enjoyed meeting with the winemakers, hearing their stories and of course opening our palates to the delights of English wine. We had no idea how many vineyards there are literally on our doorstep. I’d highly recommend a tour in the UK especially as it’s proving more tricky to visit wineries further afield at the moment

We have recently returned from our fourth wine adventure with Smooth Red. Having previously explored Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne this autumn we headed to Sussex to learn about the best of English sparkling wine.

Smooth Red excel at tailor making each trip so that you enjoy the wine, food, culture and history of the regions that you visit. The local guides are friendly and knowledgeable - finding the best boutique wineries, delicious local restaurants or the perfect spot in the vines to enjoy a coffee and pastry whilst they share the history of wine making in Burgundy.

As well as tailor making the wine experience the hotels are carefully selected to fit with exactly what you are looking for. It is a joy to start a trip knowing that for the next few days you don’t have to do a thing other than relax and enjoy the food and wine that you are presented with.

Our list of wine areas to visit is growing and it great to know that wherever we choose Smooth Red will have the expertise to arrange the perfect trip for us.