Collett's Mountain Holidays Avis 

Organised Douro Valley Walking Trip!

From start to finish, the communication with the company was excellent. They listened carefully to what we wanted and tailored a package that suited our group perfectly. Everything was handled with great professionalism.

The itinerary through the Douro Valley vineyards was absolutely perfect — each day was beautifully planned with just the right balance of walking,and challenge for our group. Every part of the trip fell into place seamlessly.

The accommodations were fabulous, full of character and comfort, and our luggage transfers were completely reliable from one stop to the next. The App and instructions were brilliant — clear, detailed, and easy to follow, which made the self-guided elements stress-free and enjoyable.

All in all, we had an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a well-organised Douro Valley adventure.

A special thank you to Pete for his exceptional help in designing such a wonderful trip for us — every detail was spot on!

Don’t look anywhere else ! This company are fabulous.

Colletts Mountain Holidays did a great job! From when Karo picked us up at the airport to being delivered back it was a great. Hiking was challenging but not too challenging, meals, downtime all was great.
Karo and Chris definitely made it a wonderful experience, they were both well informed, knowledgeable and friendly.

Our week of walking (and eating) in Val d'Orcia this fall was overall a wonderful experience and a great value. The walks were easy to follow as we explored the beautiful countryside and towns. The accommodations, food, and hosts at Il Rigo Agriturismo were topnotch. Experiencing Tuscany away from the crowds and at a slower pace afforded the opportunity to really savor the sights and tastes. And the cooking class and winetasting were a special added bonus. I will return often in my mind to the memories we made during this week.

The trip was well organized and communication was very good.

We received prompt responses to our queries throughout the process and the booking process was very smooth despite the fact that we were booking late in the season.

We loved our actual trip - the trails were beautiful and the Refugios were incredible and unique with different highlights.

Garni Ciadin was lovely as a place to start and finish our trip.

A few constructive notes:
The GPS coordinates were at times off quite a bit from the trail… as it was clear that the primary trail had been washed out or re marked since the spring gps check. No major issues though it provided a few confusing moments. The distances on paper trail notes also did not fully correspond at some points to what the GPS provided.

It was also a little unclear in the booking process whether we needed to use an airport transfer - in the end we sorted it out with the driver using WhatsApp.

Overall a great experience and we would wholeheartedly recommend Collett’s.

Had an amazing week walking in Andalucia, staying in Canillas de Albaida. Mick, our walking guide was EXCELLENT. Food provided by Gustavo and his team at Restaurante de Plaza also great. Totally recommend this walking tour.

Beautiful walking holiday in Corsica. It was very well organised and the hotels were all good apart from one. The walking is described as moderate but, in our opinion a couple of the days were a bit more than that. Overall a good experience.

We had a fantastic holiday walking between Collioure and Cadeques. The hotels were fine or in some cases very good and the food was excellent. After a hard day walking, we quite appreciated not having to make a choice at dinner some evenings!
It was great having the choice of walks each day, and the GPS routes worked well in Ride GPS. The walking notes were not so good - clearly Google translated and, as such, they sometimes read pretty strangely, but we didn't really need them with the Ride app.
Not Collett's fault, but the train from Cerbere to Port Bou wasn't running so we had to get a taxi, so watch out for that.
The walks and views from them were outstanding and we appreciated the opportunity to swim in the warm Mediterranean sea.

Great help with planning and, once on holiday, everything worked seamlessly and at least matched our expectations

Our welcome at the Airport after a difficult flight. How easy it was to settle into accommodation.
All staff we encountered from pick up to cleaners and bar owner.

I really enjoyed this break the guide Penny was excellent and the accommodation very nice and comfortable never been to Yorkshire Dales and found the walks stunning also over the 3 days the distance was manageable on top of that the weather helped dry and sunny lovely week
Thanks to all the staff

Great part of the world! Lodge really well done, very comfortable and stylish. From first arrival to departure the team and Penny in particular could not have been more friendly and welcoming. The walks were well organised and simply wonderful. Pennys enthusiasm and attention to detail as well as stamina and energy were second to none. A great format for a memorable holiday with fellow walkers. Thank you.

Good food, big welcome, comfortable beds.

Easy to use booking system.Even for a technophobe!!

Well organised and delivered as advertised.
Accommodation spot on.
Information provided was clear and precise and clearly set-out all our options.

We had a superb time on our Collioure to Cadaquès self-guided holiday. The walking was exciting and varied, through a landscape with fascinating history, and with plenty of opportunities for wild swims in coves and bays. Hotels and restaurants were distinctive and varied too, and the organisation by Collett's and their partners La Balaguère was flawless. We loved it all.

This trip has been 5 years in the actual making. I initially began planning it in the spring of 2020, and while I do not recall how I came into contact with Collett's, I do recall through numerous inquiries, correspondences, and readings of their website, that I had a reliable source of expertise for planning a lengthy Dolomites trip, a goal of mine for over 20 years. After several false starts owing to Covid, family member transitions, and medical developments, it appeared that this trip could actually become a possibility in January of this year. All of this is to say that when we finally began our 2 week combination village to village journey in August, my expectations were extraordinarily high.

It gladdens my heart to say that not once was my trust in Collett's ever even remotely found wanting. The accommodations they arranged for my party of 12 over the course of our two weeks exceeded all expectations. The rooms were superb, the beds were comfortable and the food was excellent. The luggage transfer service between lodgings was seamless, and the staff at each lodging was utterly professional and helpful. Support throughout the trip was constant. Relevant topo maps and printed materials were provided at the outset and online directional apps were accessible all throughout the hike along with clear and comprehensive explanations for how to use them. At our base hotel, in person support was available daily, and these people were clearly in love with their work. Their knowledge of the area was extensive, and their enthusiasm for sharing suggestions for optional trips was infectious.

Taken all together each interaction with a member of the Collett's team reinforced my first impression that Collett's was absolutely the right organization to trust with this trip. In fact, down to a person each member of my group of 12 thanked me at the end for putting together such a wonderful outing, and while I would like to claim credit for everything that went right, I would be remiss. The success of this trip was due to the rock solid expertise, thoughtfulness and experience of the Collett's staff. They did an outstanding job managing all facets and logistics of a phenomenal visit to this magnificently beautiful part of the planet. Thank you Collett's! I and others on this vacation will certainly be back in touch for our next adventure.

Erwalhd is a great area in Austria for trekking and our hotel was central in the village with great bus and train service. The hotel Sonnenspitze was excellent and the staff service outstanding. Collett's had two reps based at the hotel and their knowledge of the area helped significantly with our choice of walks. The app which Collett's provided for use on all the walks was very good and prevented us from straying from the path at al times. Bus service in the area were all free with a pass provided at the hotel. Great trekking holiday

Had a fantastic experience with this travel agent! The staff were super helpful and incredibly friendly, and you can tell they really know what they’re talking about when it comes to planning the perfect mountain trip. They went above and beyond to make my trip special, even arranging room upgrades that made a big difference. I’ll definitely be using them again for my next adventure!

Walking is superb

We chose the Tre Cime Twin Centre walking holiday. I was super excited to see this new offering because it was the Tre Cime that piqued my serious interest in the Dolomites, and they were reachable from Sexton, the second town in which we stayed. The transfer from Venice Marco Polo was pleasant and uneventful.

KUDOS FOR THESE THINGS:
1) I thought the cities chosen for the Twin Center holiday, Corvara and Sexton, were excellent. Corvara, in the Alta Badia region had access to the mountains and trails around Falzarego Pass (e.g., Cinque Torri, Nuvolau, Lazagoi) and Gardena Pass (e.g., Puez-Odle Park). Our hotel in each city was outstanding. I don't think I've ever experienced such a variety of food at hotels. The breakfasts and dinners at each place were very good with plenty of scrumptious self-serve accompaniments.

2) The provided Walk Pack, which included:
- a 1-page, 2-sided walk sheet for each of their recommended hikes. These were very helpful as they contained instructions on how to get to a trailhead (e.g., which bus to take if applicable), alternate route options, map of the walk, and elevation profile. However, as described below, there were some inaccuracies in the walk sheets.
- a bus pass for the public bus system, Suditirol. The pass was a great inclusion in the overall price and we used this in both Corvara and Sexton.
- access to a gps app which had a .gpx file of the recommended hikes already downloaded on the app. The app was invaluable to us and a terrific trip inclusion.
- Tabacco 1:25,000 maps of the two areas - another useful tool that may come in handy in the future

3) Office hours in Corvara hosted by a staff member who was available each evening to provide more detailed information about the hikes and weather.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT:
1) Onsite staff. First off, I want to say that the 2 staff with whom we had contact very friendly and helpful when questioned. I was disappointed that the staff member who accompanied us from the airport to Corvara did not point out any of the key mountains we passed along the way. I understand we did not pay for a 'guided trip', but a couple "hey, that mountain over there is xyz" would have been welcomed. While the idea of 'Office Hours' is fantastic, it would be even better if the people hosting those were native to the area or had more experience in the area and were better equipped to answer some of our questions.

2) There was an inaccuracy in three of the walk sheets. a) the map on the walk sheet differed slightly from the .gpx route on the app. b) The first couple of instructions on a map sheet did not match the .gpx track on the app. We took the bus to where the instructions told us, but the hiking instructions were incorrect for that starting point. c) The bus instructions for one hike in Sexton were incomplete and did not state we had to take a second bus to get to the trailhead.

3) Lack of a staff person in Sexton. Understood this is the first time a 'twin centre' holiday has been offered, and I'm very glad it was. We were told that the hotel staff in Sexton would be able to answer any and all questions about the hikes. For our longest Sexton hike, I asked 3 hotel staff how to get to the starting point and only one, the bartender, hinted about needing to take 2 buses to get to the trailhead. Fortunately, there were other walkers heading to our same trailhead so we followed them to find the bus stop for the 2nd bus. Without the 2nd bus, we would have had to have walked an additional 3.2 km.

4) Inclusion of each person on a booking on communications/walk-pack. A stated requirement of our holiday was that it had to be done in groups of 2 or more. A friend joined me, however she was not included an important pre-trip email communications that provided trip details, no was she offered her own walk pack. While many people may travel as a couple or family, we are friends and, since we each paid the same amount, each should be provided a walk pack 1) in case we decided to do a different walk from each other and 2) as a keepsake. Fortuntely, the staff person in Corvara was able to secure a 2nd walk pack for her. It would be nice to ask groups if they would like individual walk packs.

Overall, it was a fantastic introduction to the Dolomites and the tools provided were much appreciated.