Not enough train travel. Long coach journeys
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Brand: Great Rail Journeys
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A very interesting short break.Met some very nice people,
I thought it was a very nice holiday from start to finish. I thought that the tour manager did very well considering that he had to do it at a late stage. The best part was seeing the mumbles and getting to know some great people.
great service on and after booking lovely guide and good centrally based hotel 2 great train journeys but some long stays in places which didn't suit my daughter and I so much
I've done this trip three times with GRJ. Swansea is a fantastic base with plenty to see - Museums, shops, Seafront, Marina. The tour has a great itinerary: Two steam trains (one was replaced by Diesel due to drought conditions), St.Fagans living history museum, Mumbles, St. Davids, Tenby. Our Tour Manager John Healy, did a terrific job sorting out some minor problems in the hotel and ensuring everybody was as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately the hotel is currently being refurbished and extended which caused a little bit of inconvenience. It will be great when work is completed. Other than that it is a highly recommended tour.
Despite the lack of rain, we still had one steam ride (out of 2) but all excursions were great. Hotel service very good, comfortable and clean. Tour manager did his job, and provided good info for the free day.
Excellent hotel location in relation to railway station. Would have preferred another rail journey rather than cathedral and Tenby too long on bus.
Interesting visits. Coach to St.David's a little too long. 1 1/2 hours limit.
Pros = the trip was lovely, itinerary good mixture, everybody got on well, Lea manager was very nice indeed (and did very well considering she took over this tour at the last moment), the driver excellent, the hotel staff very friendly, the second coach used much more comfortable than the first. Cons = some of the early morning starts were really tough for some of us. Also on the lovely Gwilli train ride we were given tea/coffee and heaps of Welsh cakes etc. on pretty china, but a pity that it was served as soon as we got on the train i.e. almost straight after our breakfast so some of us could not eat anything. The hotel manager very anxious to correct one or two things i.e. the slow breakfast was a let down, no fresh fruit was a shock except whole oranges and apples until we made a fuss, so eventually tiny wafer thin slivers of watermelon with skin still on very awkward to cope with and no serrated knives for oranges, and a large bunch of grapes appeared but people did not like to have to pick them off individually. At breakfast too, only one knife per person for everything!! Very good coffee. And the pancakes with bacon and maple syrup delicious. One of the evening meals was a disaster, no greens or fruit of any sort. The hotel slightly hit and miss, all the staff lovely. Very few rooms had windows that could open. Option of air conditioning.
There was no enough to do. Did no enjoy a full day to wander around aimlessly.
I've written all of this before in my formal complaint!! Total disaster from beginning to end and the so called "Grand Hotel" should be shut down until the refurbishment is complete. Will NEVER travel with your company again if this is the service you give your customers!!
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Dear Mrs Warder,
Thank you for your review.
I understand that we have been in correspondence with you directly, and have since reached a resolution with our Customer Relations team.
Kind regards,
Alex
Tour was fine, if a bit strenuous on occ. Hotel, opposite the railway station was not as central as it could have been. The rooms were good, but handrails in the bath/shower would have been more user friendly for senior citizens. The food was mediocre and the service erratic even though we pre-ordered our evening meal at breakfast. Got the impression that the kitchen was battling to cope with a group of 40. Hotel staff were good. Tour leader also did a good job.
Tracey was a great leader! Trips were good although St David's and Tenby was a long day on coach. Grand Hotel staff were lovely, some evening meals not so good! Good proximity to Station but a dodgy area!
Trips were good but didn’t like Swansea itself. Hotel staff very helpful and meals were good but hotel itself a bit tired. We upgraded to an “Executive” balcony room but not impressed. Room itself was a bit basic and balcony was dirty and the door leading to it didn’t lock as it was broken.
Hotel very nice, tour manager (Tracey Davies) also very good, caring towards the guests. However, not enough train trips; in 4 full days on the vacation, only two small train rides, first one not longer than 50 minutes actually moving on the train. Also, St Fagans not very nice location to visit.
Lovely holiday, very knowlegable guide and a decent hotel with good food. The Steam train ride was a great bonus! Plenty to see and do!
Overall good but poor meals in hotel
I loved the Holiday. Hotel was great. Delightful staff. Excellent food. Excursions excellent. Your Guide Stella amazing. So lovely and so well organised.
Great holiday and superb manager, Stella
The visits were very good and our guide was very helpful. There was quite a lot of 'downtime', when we were left on our own.