Hi Elaine.
If I were you I would check with this Company to see if they intend to add any Excess Charges, it's normally done within the 30 day Legal Ruling Legislation. Be very careful!!
Basser

Hello All, this is my first post so please be kind.

I have found the posts in this thread helpful because we have booked a trip to Lake Garda, staying at Hotel Centrale, Rivi del Garda with Italian Getaways and this will be our first exerience of a package tour. We were peeved to be slapped with a surcharge due to strong Euro but as the deal is still reasoanble we coughed up.

I was interested to hear that the, what is described on the DVD, helpful Reps are more interested in selling tours and extras rather than giving useful information, something to watch out for. Included in our package are trips to Verona and Venice, I gather from information on this thread that these are escorted tours, is this correct? As we know Venice very well and have done extensive research on Verona (and bought well known, impartial guide books on Verona), we don't fancy being "escourted" on these trips. By the way, thanks to the poster who informed that the Venice lunch was too lenghty. We plan to do our own thing on the trips to Verona and Venice, so long as we arrive back at the coach pick up place for the return journey I cannot see a problem. Anyone else ducked out of the escourted part of the tours?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Augustmoon

We had been to Venice before so we ducked out of all the escorted tour bit. We went with the rep and the rest of the party to the first 'scheduled activity' that others had paid extra for and from their we did our own thing meeting at a pre-arranged place at the end of the day. We had a lovely trip and the organisation worked well for us.

We didn't go on the trip to Verona as we had been before but others who did go felt that the guided tour was perhaps unnecessary - there are extra costs attached to both tours if you don't do your own thing.

Have a good holiday

Thank you Lizcrockley for replying to my questions, you posted on the day we flew to Rivi del Garda We followed my idea and did our own thing in Venice although the Rep wasn't too pleased about it, she warned us of dire consequences of not turning up at the meeting point for the return journey to Rivi. Verona, again we did our own thing and had a great time. Thanks again for taking the trouble to reply to my questions.

My friend and I used Italian Getaways in April 2007 and it was very good value for money. We stayed in Garda itself. The hotel abutted the city wall so was very convenient to walk around Garda town in the evenings and the lakeside. As it was early in the season we ate at their adjacent hotel and the food was excellent. The inclusive trips (Venice & Verona) were all very good and the guides brilliant although the early starts for some were a bit of a shock. We did our own thing in Verona as I know it well but in Venice we had a brilliant guide and paid extra to have a gondola trip (this works our very cheap on a 'group booking') and go for lunch in place she recommended which again was very good and reasonably priced as we were 'a group'. We flew with Ryanair Stansted/Bergamo which again, apart from the unearthly hours, was no problem. A transfer coach awaited us at Bergamo and Garda is the first drop off point (also the last pick-up point when it comes to excursions which is an advantage to those staying at Getaways' other hotels to the north of the lake (Riva, Torbole, Malcesine etc). The only thing some people had a problem with was the walk from the coach to the hotel with their luggage due to the fact that Garda is pedestrianised, so that particular hotel could be a problem for people with walking difficulties as, of course, to get to the coach for excursions it was a short walk. In our hotel was a small bar open to the public and there was entertainment there in the evenings. On days not on excursions we used the ferries (day tickets) to visit other places around the lake and also the local bus (very cheap) to get to the top of the lake (Riva) and then got the ferry to Limone and Malcesine where we got the bus back. If you are of pensionable age you get reductions on ferry and bus tickets but have to show your passport We have recommended Italian Getaways to friends since we have got back and I still have their DVD to show them exactly what it is like.

We wish they did 'Getaways' to other countries!