We saw some fantastic sights around the south side of the island. Hotel Ranga was amazing in terms of comfort, food, and friendliness of the staff. We were treated to some brilliant views of the Northern Lights on our first night there. The lava tubes were not quite what we expected and we would probably have described it as pot-holing but it was an experience that neither of us would want to have missed. The excursions were well organised and very enjoyable.! I could write pages on The
Golden Circle Tour but I doubt I could do justice to the brilliance of the experience and the enthusiasm and pride of the people involved in taking us. Hotel Centrum in Reykjavik was different in style to Hotel Ranga but none the less impressive and comfortable.
We thoroughly enjoyed the short break you arranged and our home made DVD will continue to enthral for years to come.
"Just wanted to say thank you very much for your help and advice with our
Jordan holiday. We have had the most amazing time and everything worked so well. We were beautifully looked after by your Jordan agency and our driver Malek was great - so helpful and considerate. Please do let the people in Jordan know how pleased we were with him as he was wonderful.Many thanks"
We had the most amazing time and the
Northern Lights wove their magic 2 nights out of the 3 we were in Kiruna.
We had a wonderful time and would definitely highly recommend your organisation of it. We enjoyed the experience of trying all the activities.
Everything went like clockwork - even when we were delayed by snow at Stockholm, Jimmi drove us through the snowstorm to
Abisko and took us up the observation station there, staying with us till late. He made sure that he rearranged the Ice hotel & Sami afternoon that we missed the first day for when we got back to Kiruna.
The other guides were all very friendly and accommodating - Nils let us watch the nothern lights then gave us a hot meal & chatted with us till 11.30 at night.
Thank you for tailoring it to what we hoped for.
We had an absolutely brilliant time and really enjoyed our too short a stay with the most friendly and helpful people you could hope to meet - the break was most enjoyable and would certainly recommend the same to anybody. WELL DONE….
We had a fantastic time. A brilliant
Northern Lights display on our first night in Kangos meant the holiday started of on the right note and everything from there on in was a great experience. All of your arrangements worked perfectly so thank you for all your help.
A massive thanks to you both for organising this. It was an amazing trip - couldn't have wished for any more. Saw the lights 2 out of 3 nights, and the
snowmobiling and husky's were brilliant too. Will be a trip we remember for our lifetime.
Will recommend you to friends, family and colleagues, and keep an eye out for any other hols we can book through you.
Our expectations were exceeded in every respect, especially in the way you, Abigail and Kevin helped us out with the little local difficulties on our adventurous journey home....the activities you arranged for us, the people we met and the sense of a region of the world at ease with itself. Petri, Nils, Nicklas Chad and Eric in the hotel were so laid back and yet so professional, punctual, caring. It was also great to learn some of the history, traditions,art and culture of the Sami people. We have travelled all 7 continents of the world and can honestly say our
Swedish Lapland experience was THE BEST and worth every penny in terms of value for money and sense of achievement.
Many, many thanks for arranging the most wonderful trip for us. Everything was perfect - the organisation went like clockwork, the people so friendly, accommodation great and the Arctic and the Northern Lights everything we had imagined and more!
We are both agreed that this has been the best holiday experience we've ever had - dog sledding, ice hotel, snow mobiling though the darkness and
seeing the Northern Lights - it's impossible to say which was the greatest..... loved it all and we are now complete Artcticophiles!.
Without a doubt we'll be using weekend a la carte again.
Thank you, we all had an amazing time. Thought the Ice Hotel was great, and liked all our activities. Lovely scenery, and
saw the Northern Lights several times
Everything went perfectly. The guides were all very good, particularly those for the northern lights and superjeep trips. The superjeep day was excellent and about the right level of activities vs driving (the snowmobiling on the glacier was simply awesome). The guide for
the northern lights tour was steadfast in his mission to find them despite a ton of snow falling every second and others in the group naysaying the whole endeavour. Turned out he was spot on, the sky cleared and there they were, good on him. All in all the trip was excellent and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
Freshly back from a trip to fantastic trip to Sweden and the Norhtern Lights, I'm wondering, at such late notice, whether its possible to go to
Marrakech for Easter
There are not enough superlatives to describe the weekend we experienced. Right from the lovely taxi drive who collected us from
Stockholm and gave us a very informative guided tour to our hotel. Everyone was very friendly and we felt nothing was too much trouble. The standard of accommodation was excellent, I am so glad that I decided to upgrade to a suite at the Hotel Eden. All the activities were first class and the huskey ride will stay with us forever (what a character Nikolas is!) The only disappointment we experienced was the failure to undertake the snowmobiling – unfortunately my husband is awaiting a second hip replacement and the width of the snowmobiles made it impossible for us to undertake the activity (obviously we could not have known this – not having much chance of snowmobiling in Birmingham!!!) the guide was absolutely gutted for us and tried everything he could think of to make it possible (even offering his own snowmobile in case the seat was slimmer) when all else failed he made a telephone call and we were immediately collected and returned to the hotel. We also enjoyed the company of the like minded guests we met on our weekend.
Thank you so much to the team here in the UK and also the Nikolas, Tommi and Petri for the efforts put in that made my husband’s 50th birthday one we will never forget. I have already forwarded your company details to some contacts and I would not hesitate in recommending you.
We thoroughly enjoyed
our holiday with a difference, particularly the dog sleigh ride and the snow mobile night, all topped off with a fortunate, excellent, view of the Northern Lights.
Thank you for organising a great trip.
The
long weekend in Kiruna was perfect. From Hotel Arctic Eden to the guides and activities, everything was marvellous. It really was the experience of a lifetime.
Everything ran so well, people were so friendly and accommodating -no-one could really ask for more.
It was an amazing trip, and I was looked after so well. Every activity was handled so beautifully, and each guide gave you to believe you were the only tourists they had seen in months - they were kind, helpful, enthusiatic, interesting and really informative.
I have no hesitation at all in recommending this break to others (I have been boring friends with my tales and photos), and thank you very much for the great job you did in putting it all together.
It was on the strength of everything else I was able to do that it wasn't a huge disappointment that we did not see the Northen Lights in their spectactular show, but a muted Northern Glow that didn't take off. Everything else was so fantastic, it didn't really matter.
I would be most grateful if you please pass on my grateful thanks to the wonderful people who made this possible.
This really is one of the few examples we encounter where the marketing blurb is exceeded by the experience, and I'm extremely grateful to you and your remarkable team.
It was lovely, Hannah. Many thanks to you all for a sensational weekend.
Just a quick message to say that we really enjoyed the long weekend looking for the northern lights, although we only saw a glimmer of the lights the activities were fun and the hotels etc. first class. The highlight was the dog sled ride, it was excellent and can be highly recommended - we would certainly recommend this short break to our friends.
We had a wonderful time. The highlight was definitely the husky sledding, and we really enjoyed our time with Johan at the
wilderness cabin- he went to so much effort to ensure we were having a nice time. The ice hotel was amazing, although we did wimp out of a cold room and went for a warm room instead- after a night in the wilderness cabin we were desperate for a hot shower and a duvet!!!
The holiday was everything we were hoping and more- many thanks
Thanks for the welcome home, we had a truly amazing time – guide, boat, tours everything was superb. The
Sonesta St George is lovely, as were the staff from front of house to the lovely guys who looked after our room, very friendly and attentive at all times, food excellent.
Michael our guide was brilliant, his knowledge was exceptional and such a nice guy, nothing was too much for him. As was the rep Ahmed in Aswan and the guide at Abu Simbel.
It goes without saying that we will of course return to you the next time we need something special, probably sometime next year or even sooner, who knows
We both had a really wonderful time on the trip. We very much liked the
small groups for the various activities and the guides were all really great – full of enthusiasm and very willing to help. The organization was good and things went very smoothly. We had a great time and found you to be extremely helpful in organizing the trip. We would certainly consider booking a trip with you again.
We had a wonderful time in Syria and think we probably need to go back at some stage to explore further. Nizar Shik, our driver, was a gem. His friendly and helpful presence added enormously to our enjoyment. The guides in Damascus and Palmyra were fine, but Mahmoud Lababidi in Aleppo was simply outstanding. Both the Beit Zaman and the Yasmeen d'Alep were absolutely great, with the staff at the latter being especially helpful.Thank you so much for arranging a really memorable trip.
We had a fantastic time on our holiday. Although the trip was very expensive for such a short time, we both felt it was very good value for money. All the excursions were brilliantly organised and the local guides very informative and friendly. I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my thanks to Abigail for her constant updates and help to organise
our trip. she was brilliant.
Thank you so much, not only for your welcome home email, but for organising a trip of a life time. Short it may have been but it was packed full of fabulous activities and the timings were immaculate. From the somewhat late collection at the airport where Jimmy was happily waiting for us, to the amazing trip round the Ice Hotel, the Snowmobiling with Nils to the Husky Trip with Nicholas we had the most excellent guides. However, our Gold Star must go to Petrie who absolutely excelled at making our trip unforgettable! The magical evening at Abisko was a one off experience but to return to the amazing Ice Hotel with him and experience the beauty of the Northern Lights was a night we will never ever forget.
Please convey our thanks to all concerned in that wonderful country and to all your staff here that helped to make our (too) few days unforgettable. Thank you so much Weekend a la Carte, we’ll be using you again!
The short answer to your question “ whether the trip met with our expectations “ is that we are planning to ask you to arrange
for us to return to Kiruna, under the kind, patient care of our recently acquired friend, Petri . He looked after us so brilliantly and treated us like long lost grand-parents ! Thanks to him and the remarkable organization you have put together in Kiruna, we almost forgot we were tourists ! We felt like guests visiting the homes of the charming local inhabitants, eating in such small establishments, in the traditional Suni environment, that one could almost forget they were supposed to be restaurants . Because we were mostly on our own with Petri, we were able to talk to the local hosts and other interesting people through whom we learned so much of the country we were visiting . The snowmobiling was the greatest fun and my 80 year old, very immobile husband had a wonderful time ! The huskies and everything about them were the highlight of our trip and more than compensated for the fact that the Northern Lights remained invisible !
The long and the short of it is that we would like to return to Kiruna in December .
We both had a great time. Everything exceeded our expectations, including the temperature -38degrees with a wind chill factor of -80. The itinery was perfect and the people operating the tours were extremely friendly and helpful. All in all a great trip.
We had an absolutely fabulous time, a truly memorable experience and packed a whole lot into a relatively short period of time.
The Hotel Arctic Eden was a very good choice: the rooms were all very clean and comfortable and the staff very welcoming and helpful, although it took us a little time to adjust to the laid-back attitude and quiet demeanour of the Swedes! We particularly appreciated being able to use the lounge and made good use of the free teas and coffees. We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfasts and the dinner on our first night was very good (though the cost of the wine came as a shock, even though we had been warned!). The highlight of the trip was almost certainly the dog sledding and lunch on our first full day. Most of us agreed that we could have spent longer on this as the time seemed to fly by. We enjoyed the meal at Abisko and were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights. On the Friday we started the day with the Wildlife Safari when we saw a number of moose and a couple of reindeer. That evening was News Year's Eve and we went out on the snowmobiles to listen to Sami tales round a camp fire then back to Kiruna for dinner followed by fireworks at midnight.
After an enjoyable meal, the inevitable could not be delayed any longer and so we headed for bed in the Ice Hotel. We slept with varying levels of success and emerged next morning for a warming shower followed by breakfast (which was not up to the standard offered by the Arctic Eden!). All in all we truly did have a holiday of a lifetime and one we will certainly remember. I have never done anything even vaguely like this before and probably never will again (unless Jo achieves her dream of having a husky farm!!), so am very grateful for all the help you gave us in planning everything. Travelling in such a large group worked really well for us, but must have been a stretch for most of the activities we joined, though it didn't show.
Thanks again for all your help - if we can think of another exciting holiday destination, we will certainly be back in touch.
We had a fascinating trip thank you, very well organised by your local agent. We had an excellent driver and one excellent guide. The hotels were great particularly the Beit Zaman and the Yasmin where the staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful.
I am writing to say we have enjoyed ourselves a lot in Iceland and that the trips booked were extremly intersting and the landscapes spectacular. We shall definitely go back to this country.
I am writing to let you know what a marvellous holiday we had last week in
Swedish Lapland.
The itinerary was perfectly paced. We were a little concerned when Petri altered the running order, but we needn't have worried as the weather was perfect for all our activities.
We were made to feel as if we were individual guests as opposed to being part of a tourist package, and as a result got to know something of our individual guides and about the Sami culture during our different activities.
We have travelled all seven continents on upmarket "soft adventure" holidays in the past and I must tell you that our Swedish Lapland holiday was the best.
Needless to say the vieweing of the Northern Lights on our last evening was an experience we shall treasure for the rest of our lives. The sky was so crystal clear we felt that it was almost possible to reach up and grab a handful of stars.
Finally, I must tell you that in my opinion the measure of the excellence of an organisation is how it cares for its customers when things don't exactly to plan. Thank you so much to you and your excellent team for being there for us during the blizzard as the situation unfolded in Sweden and for making alternative accommodation and travel arrangements in advance.
I find myself often having to complain about service received nowadays. What a refreshing change in this case. The trip was fabulous and we had a brilliant time.
The organisation was impeccable and the quality of your people in location was excellent. Couldn’t have asked for friendlier or more professional guides for the various activities. Nothing was too much trouble for Petri and the team or for the Hotel Arctic Eden. Good logistics, lovely facilities, great excursions, and very small groups – I can’t even think of anything to suggest as an improvement. I also appreciate that you had to cope with the cost and inconvenience of a significant late change to airline schedules, but took it all in your stride, made alternative arrangements, and everything went smoothly for us. Lesser operators would have cancelled the trip, made us change our plans, or applied a surcharge. All that plus two showings of the Northern Lights!
Nichole and I had such a fantastic time at Kiruna. We managed to
see the most incredible northern lights each night we were there, the people were so friendly and passionate about their town and history, and the activities were so much fun. The organisation of the trip was brilliant too - many thanks to Kevin for all his efforts and being so patient with all my queries and questions!
We got back safely y’day afternoon, and cannot thank you enough for the care and trouble you went to design the week that we wanted.
We have both dreamed of
visiting Petra for so long – it is one of those places that manages to exceed your expectations.
We particularly want to commend Sufyan, our driver. He has excellent English, derived from six years living and working in California. He is charming, tactful, flexible, and great fun. He is also an excellent and safe driver.
His final touch defines the man – I gave him a tip (50 JD – I hope that was enough) and he thanked me with a big smile, and put it in his pocket without looking down to see how much it was.
A class act.
Best wishes, and we will of course make contact for future trips.
The hotels were excellent, as were the tours and the service from the local partner. We had a fantastic time in
Iceland. It’s a beautiful place.
We had already decided to write to you about our experiences - something that we do not usually do! The reason for this decision is that we have had the
experience of a life time! Everything was perfect, your organisation in the UK and the organisation in Sweden has been outstanding. The Rival Hotel in Stockholm was a very comfortable start to the holiday and then our night in the Ice Hotel was an experience not to be missed. I was very concerned I would be cold but in fact both Gary and I almost over heated in our sleeping bags! We followed the instructions given to us by the Ice Hotel 'how to have a comfortable sleep' and this was with the room temperature of -5 and the outside temperature of -37! We didn't see the Northern Lights in the observatory but did on our night time snow mobile excursion! Our holiday highlight has to be the dog sledding it was absolutely amazing! Despite the sharp winds and cold temperature it was quite an emotional experience, the views were breath taking and the dogs were almost as excited about the outing as I was!!!!!
All the personnel who took us on our excursions were ready to help in any and every way, many were brilliant characters never to be forgotten! The Hotel Arctic Eden was more than 5* in comfort and again in their eagerness to help us enjoy our stay. Thank you for passing on the information that this was a special holiday for our 30th wedding anniversary-the champagne to greet us in our room was a real shock, nothing like that has happened to us before- just another example of your care and consideration.
Many travel companies look after you until they have your booking and money then you're on your own, Weekend a la carte take care of you even after your return!
Thank you again and again, I will definitely recommend you to anyone who will listen; in fact Gary did to the lady he sat next to on our return flight!!!!
We just wanted to say a massive Thank You for our wonderful trip to
Stockholm & Kiruna. The organisation was perfect – we never had to stand around waiting for the guides, it all went like clockwork. The Abisko Sky Station trip and the Wildlife Safari had 6 people on the tours, the Dog Sledging had 4 and the Snowmobiles were just the 2 of us – we ended up being out for 7 hours with the guide as we were all having so much fun. In comparison it appeared that the events organized by the Ice Hotel had at least 20 people on each tour – we very much enjoyed the smaller groups and the personal touch. We had good opportunity to speak to the guides and get to ask them many questions about their life and the local community. It was great to know that they were all locals and not shipped in for the tourists!
We got to see the Northern Lights 2 nights out of the 3 we were there – how amazing was that! And we got to choose which Art Suite we wanted to stay in at the Ice Hotel – we chose the Polar Bear room, it was just amazing albeit a little bit chilly!!
The slick organisation was such a major contributing factor to the enjoyment of our holiday – we wouldn’t hesitate in using your service again or recommending you to friends & family.
“We had a fantastic trip.
Jordan was great. We had a knowledgeable and entertaining driver and the vehicle was most comfortable. At our drivers suggestion we altered the itinerary slightly - rather than an afternoon trip into Petra we did early morning so that we didn’t hit all the crowds or the heat! Accommodation great, especially King Aritas camp in Wadi rum. We did find Tea and coffee making facilities at all hotels which had been one of my questions to Kevin. We also had complimentary juices and soft drinks at the Movenpick hotels which was good, you might care to pass that on to other clients. A great trip. Many thanks”
"Thank you for your welcome home. This was a typical example of your company going the extra mile.
Our trip far exceeded our expectations. The service you offered in helping us to plan and make the arrangements was characterised by personal attention and total efficiency.
The holiday itself was brilliant. Every part was excellent. Superb hotels were chosen in every resort. Our driver was first class. It could not have been better. Keep working with your local team- they are special!
The purpose of the trip was to
celebrate my wife's retirement. She has been for the last 30 years...a tour operator! No way was I going to ask her to arrange her own retirement celebration! But, as a couple who have been involved closely with tour operating for over 30 years, we are in a position to say with some authority that your company's arrangements were outstanding.
Thank you very much. We have already recommended your company to others and will continue to do so"
Holiday was absolutely fabulous, everything ran exceptionally smoothly and we felt like Royalty the way we were met and greeted and whisked around by your team in
India. We were very impressed by the standard of the guides at the various sites, and it was wonderful to have the flexibility to tweak a couple of the tour details to suit us.I have passed on your company name to friends and said how marvellous you are, I would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone. Thank you once again for a truly memorable experience- wonderful memories to last a life time !
I couldn't fault the hospitality of all the hosts concerned, who made us feel very welcome...the dog sleding was amazing as was the visit to
Father Christmas, a memory which will live with us for a very long time!
I just want to add to that by saying the service from A la carte exceeded all of my expectations, you went above and beyond to deliver a fantastic holiday. We would definitely use you again and will point everyone planning a weekend trip in your direction
It was fantastic! We had an absolutely superb time and everything ran like clockwork. We have already been looking on your website again planning our next trip in Feb, perhaps to
Egypt this time.
The holiday was amazing and better than we expected. All activities were well organised and accommodation excellent.
Just like to say thanks for arranging an
amazing trip!!We both had a fantastic time! The guide you arranged for us was excellent, if you can pass on our thanks.
The trip far exceeded our expectations thank you, the country was spectacular Please convey our thanks to all the team that made this such a special holiday (and my 50th birthday !), they were all so friendly and informative and we felt very privileged to have tours to ourselves.It went like clockwork and the weather was favourable for us. We had an incredible time on all the trips and this was a holiday that will be hard to beat. Everyone we met that had also come with your company were full of praises.We will definitely use you again.
I have written you a letter and plan to post it to you in the next couple of days with a thank you card. Myself and Lee wanted you to know how fantastic all the guides we spent time with were and how much effort everyone put into making our holiday so special.
Thank you for the email. I wish to express to the weekend a-la-carte team what a great weekend me and my partner enjoyed, the professionalism and first class. service combined with a-la-carte's great choice of accommodation and experiences
I cannot thank you enough for making Laurence surprise Birthday present to
see the Northern Lights in Lapland a really special and memorable one!
Laurence didn't know until we were queuing at the airport where we were going and was absolutely delighted (and worried, in case I did not packed the right clothes!)
The break was organised in such a tailored, sensitive way that manages to give you an authentic feel of the place: we usually are independent travellers and shy away from anything too touristy.
Everything was perfect from the moment Thomas picked us up at Kiruna Airport : the Arctic Eden Hotel, where we stayed for four nights, was great and they have a gem in Erik, the receptionist, who is so charming, attentive and knows it all, Our catchphrase for the trip was 'ask Erik': even better than asking Jeeves on the web! The arctic clothes they supply you with for your stay are of the very best quality and we always felt cosy and toasty even in the most extreme weather conditions (it can get to -35!).
The wildlife safari was great, Nikolas is a real character and his huskies tour, in which you are really involved in harnessing the dogs, drive your own sled and eat in a hut with a great log fire in the middle of nowhere, was simply magical. The trip to Abisko to the observatory to see the Northern Lights was memorable and so was the tour of the Ice Hotel.
Laurence particularly loved the night safari on the snowmobile, driving, quite fast, on frozen lakes under an amazing starry sky. Our guides, Andreas and Bijorn, were fantastic, and you could see they genuinely enjoy people and the outdoor and is not just a job for them. This made it for us so much more authentic and unique.
But... the icing on the cake was that we managed to see the Northern Lights three nights in a row: what an undescribable, amazing, unforgettable, emotional experience, considering is not guaranteed that you see them. We were more than lucky.
On the way back, our flight from Kiruna was delayed and we missed the connecting SAS flight to London, but Petri, our very efficient Swedish contact, called Kevin in England and when we arrived in Stockholm we had already been booked on the next BA flight: how wonderfully organised, efficient and stress free.
Now I am waiting to see if Laurence will be able to better this in two years time when is my special Birthday. It will be very hard but,,,, I am sure Weekend a la carte will be able to help!
Thank you all again so very, very much!
It was an excellent holiday and
very well organised - thank you and hopefully we will book with you again and are happy to recommend you.
We had an amazing time. Thank you for all your help and advice
The whole trip felt very personal as a result and my
husband's 50th birthday will be a very happy memory for us all. We are also impressed by your organisation and would have no qualms in recommending Weekend a la Carte to our friends or using your services again.
I have to say that we had a fabulous time and would love to go back next year. I'll definitely be checking out your website again for more ideas.
Just wanted to thank you and Suzanne for organising a great trip to Kiruna - it was a pretty stunning idea for my mother's birthday! We survived the minus 38deg on the snowmobiling trip and were blessed with sunny clear weather for all 3 days - culminating in a wonderfully strong dancing display of
northern lights in Abisco. Amazing! The Ralloran was fantastic - really lovely hotel and delightful staff. Restaurant food at Ralloran gorgeous, really impressive. Husky sledding - fantastic - sun, blue skies and christmas card scenery. Dogs adorable and very enthusiastic. Lars the guide was charming and laid back and really contributed to a fantastic outing. Abisco - a really magical time - dancing lights and excellent meal in the restaurant. It was a magical evening. Ice hotel - amazing, and wonderful lunch. We found all the staff we came into contact with so helpful and really friendly. Nothing was too much trouble and we had an amazing and memorable trip.Thanks for all your efforts. We will definately recommend you to our friends and use a la carte again.
We have an extraordinary holiday. It was really wonderful - exciting, breathtaking and absolutely fantastic!
It was a birthday to remember, and we have so many stories to tell, especially that we
saw the Northern Lights - we can't believe we did so much in just a few days. All the people who looked after us deserve the highest praise, and we shall definitely go back - hopefully for longer next time.
The
trip to Verona was a 70th Birthday present for my Mother and Aunt. They had a absolutely wonderful time and has been a real once in a lifetime experience for them. They haven't stopped talking about it since their return. I would like to send you our thanks for being so helpful and the trip fully meeting with our expectations.
We had an absolutely brilliant time. A wonderful and memorable experience made possible, primarily, by the people we came across whether they were the hotel staff, the guides and even those accompanying us on the trips, but also the amazing activities e.g. eating fish soup in a Sami tent in the middle of nowhere having got there by harnessing and driving our own team of dogs ! We even managed to catch a glimpse of the
Northern Lights on the Saturday night although not in all their glory.
Some special thanks must go to Petri who welcomed us and organised the day to day itinerary on the ground, Niklas the dog sled man, Bjorn the snowmobile man who was fascinating and Tommy who took us to the Ice Hotel, Sami village and safari. All were nice, very interesting people who knew so much about their local area. It made it so much more enjoyable being guided by local people who lived and breathed Kiruna. All in all a great holiday and a great present for my wife's 50th birthday ! Thanks very much.
Hello Kevin - apologies for leaving it so long to email but just wanted to say thank you for organising our trip to Lapland in January for Michelle's 40th. Your service was excellent - the whole trip was absolutely amazing and went like clockwork ...
Northern Lights on display - moose and reindeer waiting for photo ops - picture perfect scenery and weather. The activities were made even more perfect by the friendly guides and the very small groups ( only one other couple most times).
We will definitely be using your services again and are recommending that trip to anyone that will listen!
The
short break to Verona was a great success. A wonderful city, a lovely hotel and the highlight was the opera. You arranged everything perfectly. The private pick-up at the airport was a pleasant experience, the hotel was very comfortable, within easy walk of the centre and having exceptionally friendly and helpful staff. The tickets you arranged for the opera were superb and the weather behaved itself. It is an experience we would recommend to everyone - whether or not you like opera. Thank you for making it all so hassle-free.
We had an amazing holiday. Our highlight was the husky sledge ride and we were for very fortunate to
see the Northern Lights twice. Every representative we met was exceptional. The Artic clothing was fantastic, kept us warm and snug. We wish we could have stayed for longer. Our stay in Stockholm was a real treat, the hotel Rival was top notch with a fab cocktail bar where we had Mojitos and Long Island Teas before a really lovely evening meal in the hotels restaurant.
I just wanted to send you a quick email to thank you very much indeed for all your assistance in organising the trip for Ben and Sarah last week.
I am delighted to advise that the trip was a huge success and they are now engaged! They returned bubbling with enthusiasm about everything they had experienced and had an absolutely wonderful time.
Ben stressed how extremely well looked after they were throughout the trip and that the excursions they went on were second to none (& significantly better than those being taken by many other guests at the hotel!) and that he wouldn't hesitate to use your company again in the future.
Very many thanks, once again, for making this such a memorable trip for them - I can now relax, knowing that it was a success and that his proposal was accepted! I certainly hope to be in touch again, but this time for myself and my husband
We had a really wonderful time and have thoroughly recommended it to family and friends.The Jordan staff were very friendly and helpful, as was our driver. The Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea exceeded my expectations and we were upgraded to a junior suite. The Taybet Zaman Hotel was delightful. Jordan is a beautiful country with so many places to visit.
Petra, floating in the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum and snorkeling in the Red Sea were very memorable experiences Thank you so much for organising it.
Michael and I enjoyed the trip to Jordan and despite being ill on the last night there, everything was excellent. Our guide/driver was fantastic, and the Kempinski Hotel at the Dead Sea was fabulous!
Thank you very much.
We had a lovely time in
Jordan everything was wonderful. We loved the jeep ride in the desert, we had a great guide and took some magnificent photos, the meal at the camp was delicious.
The last 2 days at the Kempinski Hotel were absolutely fabulous, the hotel surpassed our expectations and we actually cancelled one of our trips so as to have more R &R time there on Thursday. We had a wonderful holiday our driver was very pleasant and we were extemely well looked after.
The tour worked out excellent and our driver Mo was exceptional, so it made the trip that little bit nicer. The little added touches e.g. champagne in the desert were really nice too. We really enjoyed the different experiences in the different places too.
We will definitely be returning to
Jordan as we have enjoyed it so much. We will definitely be in contact in the future.
Trip was great. Our driver was very good and sufficiently experienced to make the trip versatile. For instance we went to
Jerash on the arrival day allowing more time to relax at Dead sea. A highlight was attending a camel race in Wadi Rhum and actually participating by being in one of the chaser trucks!
No problems encountered. well organised trip and very enjoyable.
I have had feedback from the girls that went on the trip and they said that they have had a brilliant time. The hotel was first class, the trips good, they did ask me to pass on to you feedback about the drivers from the car service they said that they were exceptional, kind, helpful, patent and very friendly above and beyond.
So we are very pleased with your service and would definitely recommend you to people
We had a wonderful
trip to Vienna and were very pleased indeed with the arrangements. Everything went to plan - all the cars arrived on time, the concert tickets were there at the hotel, and the hotel was lovely; indeed the room allocated to us was excellent.
We shall certainly endeavour to use you again - we are thinking of the northern lights trip early in 2011 and will have no hesitation in recommending you.
I am back at work now after the best experience of mine and my new husbands life. We had an absolutely amazing time and we can say that it was the best trip ever. Everything went better than we had expected or could have imagined. Truly magical and beautiful place.
Our guide Petri was a dream and really made this break for us. So friendly and kind. Everyone out there was.
Just wanted to say a HUGE thanks for all the planning and for helping organize such a wonderful break and wedding for us.
Lost for words really on what to say as it was all so magical. We will definitely be in touch again as we are already thinking about going back. Many thanks to you and your team and also to the people you work with out in
Kiruna Sweden.
Loved it.
We had an excellent time.Enjoyed all the activities and were very impressed by the organisation and people that are involved with the trip.If anything you could probably sell the Wilderness camp and the meal at the Aurora sky station a bit more!
Thanks for your company
The trip went very smoothly. Flights all went on time, which was amazing since the trip involved 6 of them! I have a disability and I found people very helpful about this - from an initial conversation with Kevin, to speaking with the contact people in Lapland. All of the people we met there were fantastic - Tommi, Petri, Andreas and Nicolas (husky dogs). I particularly enjoyed the husky dog trip and would recommend that to anyone. We
saw the northern lights spectacularly and chose a time of year that was perfect for seeing it. The only down side of the trip was that the snowmobile outing was too long for a night time trip and the pathway meant that some of us fell off. However, that did not spoil what I thought was a holiday of a lifetime. I loved the casual yet efficient style of Petri and his associates and the personal contact we had with them that meant we got a real feel for the place. Thanks for organising this to meet all our needs.
Was going to write to thank you for this trip it
did meet with our expectations and more – we have had a fabulous time and still on “cloud nine” back at home; we are boring everybody with photos and tales!!
I cannot praise you enough for the organisation and administration of the trip; we were met on time by everyone and nothing was too much trouble. Our guides (excuse the spellings if wrong) Nicholas (dogs) Bjorn (snowmobile) and Tommy (airport pickup and safari) were all great, full of interesting facts and very interesting to talk and listen to. I have been recommending your company to everyone I am telling about the trip and I feel sure that we will be back to you at some time in the future. Thanks once again
Well.... WOW, WOW, WOW!!!! What an incredible trip! This was a
trip of a lifetime. If anyone ever has any doubts about spending the little extra, then all I can say is spend it with Weekend a la Carte -You won’t be disappointed, it’s worth every single penny of your hard earned pounds.
Everything was taken care of, transfers, luggage, excursions we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Hotels were of a very high standard and can highly recommend a stay at the Rival in Stockholm and the Arctic Eden in Kiruna (go for the suite – its stunning) Petri takes care of everything and you just know after meeting him that you’re going to have a good holiday. The staff and guides were genuinely friendly and knowledgeable. The arctic clothing provided was second to none and come in all shapes and sizes. Our trips were in small groups therefore personalised and nothing was too much trouble. Big thanks to Hans for our fantastic snow mobile trip who took us through the wilderness to places that very few people see, even showing us some of his family history. The dog sledding with Nicholas and his dogs was great fun and hands on. All the dogs are really friendly and love the fuss and attention. Must experience a night in the Ice Hotel (It’s cold but unique!) However the highlight was at the Sky Station at Abisko. (This is a must) As you climb to the top in the chair lift the sky is filled with more stars than you have ever seen before. With no light pollution and a cloudless sky the Northern Lights were bright and vivid, we were very fortunate as they were on display all night. (Perfect back drop for a proposal!!!)
Kevin, can’t thank you enough for putting together this experience.
I must both thank and congratulate you both. It is not easy with a family of five to manage to please everyone especially when the "children" are 16, 21 & 22, but you managed to do to do just that. It was declared to be "
the best holiday we have had" by all.
No element disappointed and it would therefore be difficult to name the stand out highlight were it not for the amazing display of the Northern Lights we witnessed at Abisko Sky Station. All of the hotels were really good and yet very different from each other. The common denominator was that they all had very friendly well informed staff who really were happy to help. Top of the league without a doubt were Dick and Nina at the Abisko Mountain Lodge who were fab. We had a great few days with them and would love to go back and stay there again sometime.
To sum up, everything ran like clockwork and each day was fun and exciting, well done! We are busy thinking about what to do in July so if anything springs to mind I'd love to hear about it!
We had a fantasic trip. Our itinerary had to be reshuffled due to some unforeseen circumstances but this was done without any fuss and all our needs/preferences were met so no complaints at all. The thing that really stood out for me was the
small groups. During our stay at the ice hotel we saw a lot of very big groups going out on dog sleds & snowmobiles and I can't imagine the experience was anywhere near as rewarding for them as it was for us. Each of the guides that took us out was very knowledge and more than happy to answer all our queries and really added to the experience.
Thank you for organising a wonderful holiday for us.
We had
the most amazing time – our guides were brilliant, nothing was too much trouble and from the way we’ve enthused about it, friends and family reckon they’d love to do it too! It certainly was the holiday of a lifetime.
Thank you for organising it so well and we’ll certainly be in touch in the future.
We had a wonderful time in Sweden - the people on the tours and in the hotel could not have been nicer or more conscientious so we loved it all.
Thanks for your email and also for the wonderful trip you guys put together for us. I can fault nothing. We are pretty well-travelled, both as independents and also with larger holiday operators, and therefore hugely appreciated the research and attention to detail involved in the itinerary. All of your local agents were superb: hotel staff, Tomas, Petri, Nikolas (dog sleds - a particularly excellent day for us) and Bjorn (snowmobiles) - organised, helpful and very personable.
We would absolutely recommend you and will be availing ourselves of your services as soon as funds allow !
Thanks for the email. We had a great time, the accommodation in Lapland was fantastic and the staff were lovely. It was stunning. All the excursions were really good. Hotel in Helsinki was in a great location. Thanks very much for all your help, would certainly recommend you and use you again.
Again, thanks very much.
We had a
wonderful time.... amazing hotel and the most spectacular scenery and very friendly, laid back atmosphere.... thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!... only gripe was it wasn't long enough!!!
What holiday! It's been nearly a week and its all a blur in the distant past.
But what a blur, the whole experience oozed quality. The Hotel and staff where excellent, good English language, nothing too much trouble, excellent facilities. Hotel Masquerade Dinner on the Sunday night was pure magic. Woodland costumes, great company and food to die for. Very under promoted, we would have been very disappointed if we had not booked and come down to see the spectacle.
The Ball itself was excellent, beautiful surroundings, good food and quality entertainment
The
opera was spectacular and we felt very special walking in on the red carpet - we were just 9 rows from the front and what a wonderful experience. I couldn't understand a word, but it really didn't matter. It was hard to believe that no microphones were used in such a vast space. The hotel was comfortable and I would definitely recommend it - as I work for a well known hotel chain, I'm very picky, just can't help it, it's in the blood!! Our driver, the same one that picked us up on our arrival, arrived to take us back to the airport on the dot as planned! I will definitely recommend your company to others and should we have occasion to want to do something similar I will certainly be in touch.
We have had the most wonderful time and I cannot believe it went so quickly. The arrangements you made for us were superb. The hotel is absolutely delightful, and we would recommend it to anyone. Both
operas were wonderful and moving. The burning question is, how did you get us tickets for Aida on Row 21? It is half way back so that we were level with the stage, and has a walkway in front so that we had an uninterrupted view. We were sitting next to the Arena manager on one side and on the other side a Swiss man who was most impressed that we got four tickets. He books his tickets every year in October to get Row 21.
Verona is a wonderful city and we used our gold cards every day. As for the food, we found some wonderful restaurants and at one we even had a lesson on different balsamic vinegars and brought some home.
All in all a fantastic trip, thank you for all your care and attention.
The visit was the most wonderful experience, every single part of the weekend was perfect; from the airport pick-up to hotel to opera. Absolutely nothing could have been improved on in any way and I would like to genuinely thank you for all that you did.
I am now a husband with oh so many brownie points....
We had a fabulous trip. I cannot fault your organisation and would gladly recommend you to anyone considering a weekend break. Everything and everyone was where it was supposed to be when it was supposed to be. The service at the hotel was faultless and the location was superb. Even my husband, who frequently travelled abroad on business could find little fault.
In a word it was Fantastic.
Your arrangements worked perfectly.
The BA flights went - no strike so we were happy!
There were very nice cars and drivers to take us to/from the hotel.
Verona is a beatiful old town with lots to see and wonderful food!
The Hotel Victoria was perfect for us, with excellent but unobtrusive service, pleasant, efficient people and a very good breakfast.
The hotel is in very good shape and the bed was very comfortable. It was amazingly quiet, and very close to the Arena.
The performance of "Carmen" at the Arena was everything, and more than we had expected - stupendous, fantastic, wonderful.
Dinner afterwards in the square was crowned by the cast of the opera greeting us diners as they walked home.
Thank you all at "Weekend a la Carte" for arranging such a superb trip for us. We shall certainly come back to you when we plan a next special occasion, and also recommend you unreservedly to friends and family.
We had a very enjoyable break in Bologna and Verona. The hotel in Bologna was ideal - right in the centre of the city next door to the Cathedral. We had a balcony so we could sit outside and have a glass of wine before dinner. The staff were very helpful and friendly and I would recommend this hotel to other clients who may wish to visit the city. I would recommend your company to a friend as I thought the arrangements went without a hitch. It was only the weather that let us down and you can't plan for that.
Weekend was awesome thanks. Hotel was great.Venue for the Race on the day was particularly good..the house/apartment and the owner were all very nice.If we go again,or I have any other colleagues that would be interested I will definitely be giving them your e-mail address.
Thanks for a great weekend…..
The trip was amazing thank you, it exceeded all our expectations which were already high as we were so excited.
The hotel was well situated and lovely, the seats we had for the Palio were amazing. The weekend al a carte group gelled really well and we had a great time, laughed ate and drank far too much! The icing on the cake was that ‘our’ contrada whose dinner we attended won so we really felt part of everything.
Thank you for organizing an amazing weekend that we will genuinely never forget. We have vowed never to return to the Palio itself because nothing could beat this experience. I have already recommended your company to others and we would also consider other weekends of interest with you. In brief, it gave my wife a natural break as she normally deals with everything from holiday destination, hotels, insurance, car hire etc. Secondly, as a horse lover, the Palio was the key reason for the trip. Not only did you clearly have a crystal ball and put us with the 'Selva Contrada' for the dinner - but they won the Palio! We were fortunate enough at the dinner to be placed in the middle of a lovely, large Italian family, including a couple who spoke English. This made the atmosphere that much better and with the winning contrada, Friday PM turned into a unique celebration. The hotel was just right and the staff very friendly and helpful.
Had a fantastic trip. Great experience, crazy country. Excellent hotel and the ballooning was brilliant.
To be honest, we approached this holiday with a little trepidation after our experience of getting our visas. What would Russia be like?
Bureaucratic, negative, unhelpful etc. We found the exact opposite.
I am very pleased to tell you that we had a really enjoyable trip. Both flights with BA were on time and the cabin crew were good.
The programme was full, excellent and very interesting. It accomplished its aim as it included the major tourist attractions. It was well organised. The Astoria hotel was 5* standard and we were given a very comfortable room overlooking a small park and the council square. The staff were good and the cuisine was excellent.
Above all our holiday was made truly memorable by our guide Elena Melnikova. We cannot praise her sufficiently. She was excellent - 11/10!!! She was very enthusiastic, friendly and well organised. She looked after us at all times. She was very informative and made Russian history both enjoyable and understandable.
We would definitely book a future holiday with Weekend a la Carte if we find one of interest.
I just wanted to thank you and your team for organising a truly wonderful Marrakech experience at the end of March. We had a fantastic time. Dar Donab was brilliant, a haven amidst the assault on the senses that was just along the road/path/donkey track. The staff were attentive and courteous, the rooms were stunning and we relished every moment of down time spent beside the pool or on our terrace. Our guides and driver were always on time, informative and polite. When the black merc turned up at the palace, it felt as though we were superstars on a private tour! Thank you for your suggestions. The last supper at the Yacout completed a wonderful stay, (l would highly recommend leaving the best 'til last) My husband's 40th was a real treat, all I need to do now is persuade him that the Northern lights and Iceland would be an appropriate reciprocal trip! Please pass on my thanks to your team,
Thanks so much for the superb organization of our wonderful Christmas holiday. We had the best time ever and did not want to come home. Some of the highlights – meeting Anthony Edwards of ER fame in the bar at the Ice Hotel, snowmobiling across frozen lakes and husky dog sledding under a clear night sky with the Northern Lights shining. Looking forward to holidaying / honeymooning with you in the near future
Well that weekend was monumental!! Gavin and I had the most fantastic time snowmobiling with our guide Pär - quite unforgettable and we could quite easily have stayed a whole lot longer. Petri was also very efficient - and even organised an impromptu trip to see an old church and the Ice Hotel on our last morning, on the way to the airport. So a big thank you to you and your team.
And we want to do it again! It's much too early to book things for next Easter I suspect, but Gavin and I would like to do something similar over the next long Easter break. It could be another snowmobile safari or something else in a similar vein. All suggestions welcome!
Just back from Italy, where we had a totally splendid holiday, partly thanks to weekend a la carte! Got your letter today, and glad to report that we thoroughly enjoyed the
Palio experience. My only difficulty is explaining it to people who ask “how was your holiday?” ! How can you explain (succinctly) the preamble to the Palio, along with the excitement of the day? We got thoroughly caught up in it, and it became clear to us as we spoke with Italians later on in the holiday (we spent a week afterwards in a villa in the hills) how privileged we were, not only to have seen it from where we did (undoubtedly the best seats in the house), but also be involved with the contrada dinner etc.
We had a truly wonderful trip to Jordan. The country and the people were a delight. It was a very memorable experience and we would like to go back again. This is in large part down to yourselves.
We were really impressed by the arrangements and how everything went so smoothly, reservations, pick ups and the flights. The hotel choices also were very good. We found the guides provided very friendly and helpful.
Finally thank you and to Kevin so much for giving us a great holiday
We had the most FANTASTIC holiday, perhaps the best holiday I have ever had. We were looked after impeccably by your representatives over there who were both charming and efficient, the food was impeccable - amazing every night, the accommodation was amazing, the dogs were the best thing of the whole trip and our guide was second to none.....we are both so excited about how incredible it was and will certainly be recommending you in the future to all of our friends. It was a brilliantly thought out and planned trip and the level of service we received from everyone over there was just amazing. we felt like kings and queens.
Your guys did not let us down one bit, the whole thing was better then we could have possibly expected. You even planned the weather perfectly (!!!!) which was beautiful every day.
Thank you so so much and we will certainly be in contact again in the future to use you for any other special trips we take.
I am pleased to report that the arrangements went excellently and we had a most enjoyable trip – we would thoroughly
recommend Jordan and Weekend a la Carte.A big upside were the arrangements on arrival at Amman airport when we were greeted prior to immigration and whisked through the formalities (and of course Petra which was all that we expected).
What can I say. We have come back from a truly stunning weekend in New York. Despite temperatures of 37 to 38 degrees, the whole experience from start to finish was excellent and your organisation of the trip was first class.
The hotel choice has to come at the top of our list. The fact that we upgraded really made the holiday and I would recommend this to anyone in future - the food selections daily were exceptional and the personal concierge service was extremely good. The meals out were good (especially the Oyster Bar - wouldn't go back to Tavern in the Green but only because it was not "our scene"
.
The dinner cruise was memorable and, amongst other things, we added a helicopter flight over New York.
We had a fantastic time and I would thank you and your staff for enabling us to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary in style. Just got to save for the Golden now! Will certainly use your company in the future.
We had a fantastic time and were absolutely blown away with
Bled. It is absolutely beautiful and it was lovely to get to a couple of different ski areas (Vogel and Krvavec).
The transfers worked well and Matt was a fun and informative guide. We enjoyed the opportunity to wander around Ljubljana as well so felt we had lots of different experiences in a short space of time.
All in all, a fab few days
What a great trip.
Greenland is an Awesome place.
Well what can we say the trip was superb from start to finish, and will definitely go down as a trip of a lifetime. The choice of companies that you deal with are excellent and we were glad to find that we weren't part of a large group of people and just a number. The Wilderness cabin was fantastic and the chef who came to prepare our food did not disappoint (I will forever look at Rudolf slightly differently now!). I thoroughly enjoyed the snow-mobiling trip, my husband now thinks I'm a bit of a demon driver.
The Rallaren was relaxed and comfortable and we were glad that we made the choice to go and see the Ice Hotel and eat at the Old Homestead (praise to you for managing to get us the table) but not actually stay at the Ice Hotel, the Rallaren comfy bed and fab power showers suited us just fine! On a final note the arctic clothing/equipment which was given to us was excellent quality and certainly kept the cold out.
Thanks again, I have already recommended you to a friend at work who is also thinking of ideas for her husband's 40th!
Further to your email, we had a wonderful
break in Iceland. It was very well organised and all party members commented on how much they enjoyed the trip. All of our guides were extremely hospitable.Many Thanks for organising a truly memorable experience.
Yes, we had a lovely time - the hotel was comfortable with a warm and friendly atmosphere, and the children enjoyed staying in the Tepee in the garden (there was no problem fitting all 3 in). We enjoyed snow-mobiling very much and our guide was friendly and helpful. It was great fun and the scenery was dramatic. We were blown away by the powdery and very sparkley snow, and quality of the light. The Ice Hotel was also spectacular! The dog sledging was fun too - but it was very cold and overcast, so we didn't really see much of the scenery. But we all thought the dogs were great, and our guides were also very welcoming and friendly.
Many thanks for organising a memorable break - it was a great success with all the family!
Venice was fabulous - the weather was stunning blue skies & brilliant sunshine everyday.
The ball was an experience, the Hotel was wonderful, we overlooked the bell tower in St Mark's square, and could see clearly Doges Palace etc... We slept with the shutters open every night so we awoke to the sound of the bells and that view. At night the illuminated the tower with lots of different lighting effects, it was wonderful.
All in all we had a tremendous time, and I think that I will have to make an annual pilgrimage!
The trip was wonderful. Everything went very smoothly, excellent guides, hotels, etc. All our trips were wonderful just us two and one guide, and the difference if we had been on a trip organised through the Ice Hotel was very obvious, basically just not as good. Everyone should know what a good service you provide there
We had a wonderful holiday - the orca snorkling was incredible - we met a pod of 9 one with baby suckling from mum - all of the orca were also interested in us they came within touching distance and swam with us for a long time. Just before we left due to light all the orcas swam right up to the zodiac boat and stayed for many minutes they spyhoped and swam around us - it was great.
The husky and snowmobile rides were also very enjoyable.
Overall - it was an excellent holiday and very well organised - thank you and hopefully we will book with you again and are happy to recommend you
We had a fantastic time – the trip definitely lived up to expectations. In particular, the people we met – especially the guides – were all very welcoming. The trips were really good fun (especially the skidoos!) and it was so interesting to meet the locals and learn about their way of life.
Thanks very much to you and all your staff and contacts in Sweden for a fabulous weekend. We are already talking about going back for our 20 year wedding anniversary…
