Very enjoyable tour very busy but worth it . Very good hotel with very good food. Very good coach drivers . Coaches are a little dated , no phone charging or wifi.
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Brand: Great Rail Journeys
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Young staff at hotel very pleasant & the lifts were very efficient. However the bed in our room was just a normal double one. We have been used to king sixes beds in hotels so I didn't sleep well which detracted a bit from the holiday.
It was a fun trip - we enjoyed the excursions. I think that the hotel could have been a lot better, we had to complain about our room as the bed was so short (we did get an upgrade). Although the upgrade was to what I would expect as a minimum. The food was ok but one night the rice pudding was crunchy which was not good
The food was not good
Well organised. Hotel very friendly with helpful staff. Our Tour Leader, John was good. Visits to Bakewell, Chatsworth and Buxton nice. Guided tour in Buxton interesting. Ecclesbourne heritage rail journey was disappointing due to lack of scenery. Coach trip on final day with a guide was really good but more time in Castleton please.
We really enjoyed our trip to the dales. Interesting and varied activities. Good amount of down time, first class hotel. The breakfasts were great and we enjoyed the evening meals. Our tour rep Joe R was excellent and innovative (the impromptu quiz!).
Tour manager joe was very helpful, would have liked to stop at eyam instead of castleton. Found seats on coach uncomfortable
Good hotel, wonderful scenery and friendly efficient tour manager
I enjoyed it. Quite a lot of coach time (a bit too much for me). Tour chap could have made it easier for a single guest to eat with another single guest. Also he spent a lot of time telling us about his 91 year old Dad and not enough (he didn’t at all) of pointing we were about to go past for example a beautiful viaduct (so most people didn’t even get to see it).
Tour itinerary very good. Tour Manager was fun, well organised and efficient. The downside was the Leonardo hotel: housekeeping was hit or miss but that was a minor compared with appalling food served at dinner. Packeted, pre cooked, frozen food in some instances. Chef didn’t have a clue! . A vegetable stir fry came as a tablespoon of vegetables and a pile of noodles. Likewise a chicken dish was basically 2 small bites of chicken, two pieces of even smaller chorizo and a mound of rice! It was disgraceful to say the least. I could go on: my husband said he couldn’t even tell what he was eating and a Greek salad came absolutely smothered in a thick balsamic glaze. Staff were fabulous and very apologetic but this was not enough and wanted to cook something else and give us free drinks! Despite the concern of the lovely Food and Beverage Manager the hotel is doing reputational damage to your company and the sooner you change the accommodation the better. Last year we stayed with you at the Crowne Plaza in Harrogate and we were perfectly satisfied with the food. Breakfast was fine however!
Overall it was an enjoyable holiday with mostly interesting visits, but the guide spent too much time telling us her personal experiences and not giving enough information about what we were seeing. The coach driver gave us more! The hotel was good average but the fact that no rooms, other than accessible ones, had walk in showers was a negative. A shower over a bath with a shower curtain rather than a screen is not really acceptable. The general state of cleanliness in the corridors left a lot to be desired. Staff were friendly and efficient.
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi there,
Thank you for your review.
I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your holiday overall and that your coach driver was informative. However, I'm sorry to hear that your hotel did not meet your expectations and I will relay your feedback on this to our Product Team.
Best wishes,
Richard
Steam train journeys were not very exciting. The Leonardo Hotel in Derby was well located and had good service. The coach journeys were enjoyable with a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide and driver.
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Mr Wood,
Thank you for your review.
I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the steam trains, though it is brilliant to see that the Leonardo Hotel provided you with a good level of service.
I'm glad that your tour manager and coach driver enhanced your excursions!
Best wishes,
Richard
Good tour if a bit repetitive but places we visited and train trips interesting. Weather was against the tour as it spoiled the experience for a couple of venues although our driver and tour guide tried to vary routes during site visits. Other guides did their best in difficult circumstances.
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Christopher,
Thank you for your review.
I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have the best weather for your holiday to the Peak District, though I'm glad to hear that your local guides did their best to make it a good holiday.
Best wishes,
Richard
PEAK DISTRICT Both train journeys poor. Not scenic at all. Hotel adequate. Good Breakfast choices. Poor evening meals. Small portions and very slow service. Train journeys poor. Not scenic at all. Hotel adequate. Good breakfasts. Poor evening meals. Small portions and slow service
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Glo,
Thank you for your review.
I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your Peak District holiday. I will relay your feedback on these issues to our Product Team so that we can improve this tour going forward.
Best wishes,
Richard
Very enjoyable trip
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Neil,
Thank you for your review.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip to the Peak District.
Best wishes,
Richard
Your trips were well organised and gave us a lovely taste of beautiful scenery especially as we had perfect weather a very enjoyable trip Hotel and rooms ok restaurant could be better organised and food for evening meals need improvement
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Mrs Brown,
Thank you for your review.
I'm glad to hear that you found your Peak District holiday to be well organised and that you enjoyed great weather which will have made the views even more scenic!
I appreciate you taking the time to suggest how the tour can be improved going forward, and I have relayed your comments to our Product Team.
Best wishes,
Richard
The whole trip was very enjoyable, but the hotel was not up to 4 * standard, in relation to dining , service, (although the staff were pleasant enough) and also the rooms themselves. In some rooms the heating did not work and so guests had to ask for a portable one. The rooms were modern and clean, but there wasn't one drawer to unpack underwear. Only hanging space and a shelf. We asked if there might be a roast on Sunday , but were told that beef is too expensive! The trips were lovely but one especially was not well planned.....after a train ride we were taken to a shopping mall (Peak Village) and given barely an hour to supposedly shop and eat! We did not want to shop, but just getting food in that short time during a busy Sunday lunchtime, was a rush and a challenge with very little choice, and not at all enjoyable. This was our 5th GRJ holiday and we would use them again...but standards do seem to be dropping, sadly
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Mrs Kidd,
Thank you for your review.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the holiday overall, though it is disappointing to hear that the hotel may have fallen short in a few areas and I will forward this to our Product Team.
Best wishes,
Richard
A lovely trip in a very beautiful part of the English Countryside.
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi there,
Thank you for your review.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your time visiting the Peak District. It is such a beautiful area of the country!
Best wishes,
Richard
Well organised itinerary, excellent local guide. Would have given 5*, but on 2 evenings (Saturday, Sunday) the dinner at the Hotel was disappointing, food below standard, young staff did their best, but there seemed to be no supervision. Also a long queue at the bar, only 1 bar staff trying to cope.
I have been to Derby before but didn't realise the Peak District was so beautiful.