Macs Adventure Reviews 

cant fault them ..the whole process from start to finish was great . would defo use again

We booked the King Ludwig Way 6 day self guided walk. Macs Adventures communicated really well, answered all our questions and queries. The trip itself was fantastic, the Macs app is excellent, and the hotels selected were very good, near restaurants (one with an excellent restaurant).

All in all, a fantadtic experience with Macs Adventures

We did the Macs Adventures Douro in Style hiking trip last week. The Douro was beautiful, the hikes were very good and all the transportation was safe and on time. The boat that took us up river to Regua was faded, the food bland and the seats uncomfortable. The hotels were very nice but we were given the poorest rooms in each, low floors, rooms dated and worn, or views of a wall and air conditioner. We had a number of wine tastings included but most were for the mass tourism market, not really the "style" that we expected. While the walks were nice, all were on public trails and available on WikiLoc or AllTrails. Mac's seems to sub out the trips to another provider and their value add is the app, which is only ok. Not a bad trip overall but you could easily do it yourself for half the price.

Do not book Cycling the Paradors of Extremadura ! We booked this trip after reading a very positive article in the Financial Times, waxing lyrical about the 5 paradores this 7-day trip encompases. So, when we received the itinerary details a few weeks before departure (having paid £2650 for two people excluding flights) we were shocked to see not 5, not 4, not 3 but 2 paradores on the list with other much more mundane hotels replacing them. In response to our complaint Macs Adventures said "read the fine print - we have the right to change hotels - the itinerary on the web is indicative, etc etc - and we can't help you".

Update:
They indeed reached out, apologized, asked for my account details for a refund, I provided requested account details ... and ...drumroll... they refunded it not to me but to my friends (we travelled with) account. This is beyond ...
This was our first time, booking with MacAdventures. It was actually recommended by friends, who also managed the actual reservation process itself.
Overall it was a great experience and I would have given it 5/5*
But, unfortunately, when it mattered the most, they failed. The 3rd night, my luggage got delivered broken to my room. It wasn't clear if it happened during the luggage transfer or at the hotel. We inquired right away with the hotel and via Email with Macs Customer Service including pictures and videos. The hotel never came back, and Macs came back initially with a promis to investigate and to come back with further advise. That was the end, and we never heard back, got any explanation, nor compensation. Things can happen, but no proper closure isn't really what you'd expect. Even our friends who used Macs several times were surprised by the poor customer service experience. It puts a bad taste on an otherwise great experience. We never received any request for feedback about our hiking experience either, which seems kind of matching the customer service/customer experience mindset of Macs Adventures.
I will review the individual accomodations via Google and/or TripAdvisor instead.
Would we recommend Macs, yes but only if everything goes right. Don't expect too much if something goes wrong.

Walked the Camino del Norte over almost 6 weeks. Admin including luggage transfers was excellent. Accommodation - including breakfasts- was a bit varied but this probably was a result of reduced availability due to travelling early in the year.

This is the second time we've used Macs and have again be so pleased with their organisation, reasonable price, great choice of accommodation and helpfulness. Will be exploring so much more with them in the future.

Absolutely loved my trip with Mac’s Adventure on King Ludwig Way! Everything about the trip was hassle free and well thought out - the luggage transfer was seamless and the app was fantastic when trying to navigate confusing path signs. We stayed in both popular tourist areas and small towns where the only restaurant was the one at the hotel (phenomenal nonetheless)! I’ve done a lot of European travel previously, but this trip was a great way to see more “local” spots and get a feel for the region outside of the tourist hotspots. The accommodations were all very nice, clean, and hospitable. The food along the way was amazing! Mac’s Adventure is truly the best of both worlds - it allows you to have a self guided experience at your own pace, while not having to worry about the logistics. There’s the peace of mind knowing theres someone to call if there are any major hiccups while on the trip and I would absolutely go on a Mac’s trip again in the future!

My partner and I used MACS adventures for a bike trip from Venice to Poroc. Overall, the customer service was mixed.

All the things they outsourced to Girolibero, the local operator, went really smoothly.

However, we had multiple issues leading up to the trip, particularly around over-billing that took loads of back-and-forth emails to solve. Most frustratingly, they didn't actually book our hotel on our first night. I only found out because I called the hotel to ask a question and they said they had no record of us staying...

With that said, the follow-up MACs customer service was very good. They resolved the booking problem quickly and without question. They also took the time to reach-out and address the issues I had, which I really appreciated.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the customer service and say that it was probably more our travel plannner than MACs overall.

1 star on our latest - we walked the last leg of the PortugueseTrail of the Camino. 1 Star represents the accommodations Mac's team arranged. We are not struggling traveller's, we like nice places and can afford to stay in nice places, not sub surface, damp, uncomfortable rooms with single beds. 1 Star represents the luggage transfer company who lost an item that was attached to a piece of luggage. 1 Star represents the very unhelpful responses I received from Mac's team. We will be going with another company next year.

Based on our recent visit to the Swiss Alps I have determined, with due diligence, one can save close to 50% on Mac’s Adventure prices. They promote “self guided tours” and that is exactly what one gets. We did not see a single Mac’s employee the entire time we were in the Alps. Do yourself a favor - do your homework. Want to emphasize that there was virtually no added value from Mac’s. Download “AllTrails” and book your own hotels - save thousands.

While we enjoyed our trip, we were very disappointed and frustrated by the Mac’s service experience throughout the planning. We paid a significant amount of money as a group for what was sold as an elevated experience but did not feel the service was commensurate with the fee. In all my years of dealing with service providers it was the least customer service oriented model I have encountered. It is partly a result of the web based communication format and restrictive service policies Macs has chosen to adopt as corporation. The structure is particularly ineffective for group bookings. Macs does not discount for groups yet does not give personalized service to each member of the group. Instead Macs more or less assigns one person from the group to coordinate and communicate with the other members, essentially doing the job Mac’s was hired to do as the tour provider. It was inefficient, cumbersome and not customer service driven. This was not disclosed at the outset or ever agreed to on our end. Even the information packages and luggage tags were mailed to one member of the group to distribute despite not living together. When we requested that Macs send each member a package directly we were told it would be an extra charge. We each were paying over 6300 dollars and felt we were being nickled and dimed. We were also told if we wanted to add a sixth person after the initial booking was confirmed we would have to pay an additional administration fee on top of the 6300 despite the obvious value to Mac’s of collecting an additional substantial booking fee. These were nonsensical add ons from our perspective. Mac’s insisted on a non refundable deposit before confirming the properties marketed and then took an inordinate amount of time to confirm the hotel choices. Mac’s also tried to quietly drop inclusions off our itinerary which we caught and challenged. At first we were told it was a mistake. Then that is was no longer part of our deal. Then told it was not possible to include the dinner. Then offered 50 dollars a head Canadian as compensation. After checking the menu at the property and realizing the value of the meal that was in our contract amounted to over 100 each we refused the offer of and insisted our one dinner be provided as quoted in the sales material. It was a time consuming and frustrating experience and certainly not something one would expect as a professional customer service experience. On the ground, The Portugal trails provider was good to deal with for the ground transfers. The first hotel property was exceptional, the second property while being a historic location was very tired and not a five star calibre. The third property was also a good choice. The gps maps were generally user friendly. We had a few issues where the map led to an overgrown path, a recently fenced off path and a gated road. The map needs a few updates. Overall we felt the value for money was not good for a self guided experience. The hotel rack rates were about 450 euro per night (680 can) for double occupancy and Macs obviously gets better than rack. Plus the hard costs of ground transfer and the gps maps service. Mac’s is not providing the extra value of a guide, snacks, lunches, dinners or entrance fees to sites. The total fee for five of us was about 33,000 including the one single supplement. One of our party unfortunately had to cancel shortly before the trip as a result of a knee injury and paid a 50 percent cancellation fee. Mac’s is making a significant margin yet skimping on service. With access to free apps like All trails for trail navigation, it is important for Macs to, at a minimum, deliver service value. The self guided concept is good. The customer service model is poor and could be improved on significantly.

Very disappointed and annoyed with Macs. They messed up our transfer on day one to the start of our cycle. They then told us to organise private taxi which would cost circa 100 euro They refused to consider reimbursement of this fare despite the fact that we had already paid them for it In over 10 years of cycling holidays we will not be returning to Macs

Booked the Nova Scotia Cape Breton Island cycling tour, and paid full booking price months in advance. Showed up at Day 1 hotel, room was booked, but the cost hasn’t been paid.

And that was just Day 1. Unbelievable!

Payment hadn’t in fact been made. Mac’s dropped the ball on execution, then it took us three tries to get a person that would take ownership and solve the problem, and now you want to introduce dishonesty? Really? Your actions speak so loudly of Mac’s Adventures attitude to clients that I don’t think my words could add a thing.

We have just returned from the Jersey Coastal Path. It was an excellent walk and well paced. The hotels were all clean, comfortable and conveniently located. The staff in each hotel were friendly and very helpful. The app was so useful, kept us on the track and gave good information. The organisation by Macs Adventure was perfect. Our luggage was at each hotel before we arrived and the taxi transfer was prompt. Well done to Liberty Cabs for their excellent service. All in all our holiday was a huge success - thank you Macs Adventure!

It’s a proper company for self guided trips, we loved doing the Tour du Mont Blanc in comfort with them. The app and their booking services were good. I would do the same trip with them again!

Very poor behaviour of you to refuse to accept a booking from a visually impaired traveller. And appalling that the main reason you gave is that you could not guarantee that the accommodation hosts you use would accept his guide dog even though you acknowledge that they would be breaking the law if they did so. You should be ashamed.

We had an amazing time on our 8-day “Cycle Scotland’s Lochs & Glens” adventure! We absolutely loved every moment of it. The routes were challenging yet doable, and the roads were pleasantly quiet. The scenery was breathtaking, and we had some wonderful stops along the way. The selection of hotels and B&Bs was top-notch and really enhanced our experience. Huge thanks to the Macs Adventure team for their meticulous planning, it truly made all the difference.

Be carefull about the prices on the website, they're confusing and the customer services is not helping !

REVIEW UPDATE
In response to this review, Macs Adventure changed their mind and refunded my deposit. I am grateful for this change.

PREVIOUS REVIEW
Do not use this company. They have a very strict cancellation policy: once you give them a deposit, there is no refund. If you cancel, they give you the option of applying the deposit (less a $150 PER PERSON fee) to a future trip, or just forfeiting the refund. We deposited $668 for a couple, and then 3 days later we realized we could not do this trip and wrote to cancel. MACS refused a refund of our deposit, and offered to apply $66 toward a future trip. So customer-unfriendly. They had not lost any money in those three days. They wrote me that the reason they are refusing a refund is "We have to maintain very strict cancellation terms since we have had so many cancellations recently. We cannot make any exceptions."
No wonder.
Do not use this company