Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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153 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Angela Edwards

Reviewed October 2015

Picos de Europa

An excellent week’s walking. Jim and Pilar and the staff at the hotel were welcoming in a relaxed and sociable style and the food was outstanding. Alvaro the guide was lively and informative and passionate about his local area. The Picos offers wonderful scenery and we were lucky to see Griffin Vultures close up as well as chamoix, red squirrel and salamander.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was all inspirational, each day offering a new highlight. The mountains are starkly white and rugged and set against a blue sky (of course) are impressive. The sea in background adds another dimension and from a height seems vast. The Carres Gorge is quite breathtaking in it's scale and the canal a mindboggling feat of engineering.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alvaro was inspirational. He was passionate about the environment, informative about local geography, flora and fauna and took an interest in each member of the group individually. A great guy!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Binoculars an asset if you're interested in wildlife.

Jennifer Boyd

Reviewed October 2015

Picos de Europa, 3 - 10 October 2015 (grade 5)

Our first visit to this area; wonderful varied walks ending in two fairly hard days which very well worth the effort.
Limestone peaks, lush meadows, autumn colours in all the different trees and all this mostly to ourselves.
First two days misty, warm and windy so programme adjusted to suit that, otherwise sunny and warm but cool at night.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lunch above the Col de Pandebano with stunning views across to Naranja with a distant accompaniment of cow bells. Scrambling up and down a limestone cone that I never thought I would manage on the last day. Mugs of tea at Jim's (hotel owners) house after muddy descent through meadows and woods on second day!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent! Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, patient and a great sense of humour. Skilled at keeping the group together enough for reasons of safety but not too restricting. All the benefits of a local guide but with fluent English. Marked our hikes on several of the group's maps and sent us all his photos afterwards.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go! Think of the Lake District, but less manicured and crowded, plus Alpine meadows and jaw dropping limestone peaks. For grade 5 you need to be fit, we trained for 3 or so weeks beforehand (mid 60s).

Una Dixon

Reviewed October 2015

Walking the Picos de Europa

The picos de Europa are really beautiful. We had a fabulous week of weather at the end of September and got to enjoy them at their best! The scenery was magical – I kept thinking I must be on a Hollywood set, it just seemed surreal! We saw lots of animals – many birds of prey; chamois; a wallcreeper; lizards; goats; rats! Some people saw a salamander one day although sadly I missed that! Each walk was in a different place – we did one in each of the central, eastern and western massifs as well as the cares gorge and Juan Robre. Our guide for the week, Alvaro, was excellent. The hotel was very relaxed and it was handy to be in a little village.

Most Inspirational Moment

Really all the walks were fabulous! The twin summits of Mancondiu were something really different for me and I greatly enjoyed that. It was a good bonus seeing the chamois in the distance one day. We had a really nice free day at the seaside - walking along the cliffs into the seaside town of Ilanes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

It is difficult to praise Alvaro, our local guide for the week, enough! He was excellent!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a lovely place, I can only recommend it! A few people seemed to have issues with their hiking boots. A suggestion: maybe do a few trial hikes at home with your hiking boots before you go to make sure they are fine.

Philip Whitby

Reviewed October 2015

Picos De Europa

Excellent week of walking in the Picos De Europa.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the length of the sensational Cares Gorge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alvaro was fantastic. Extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the region.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy it all and sample the local food and drink. You should give the Asturian Cider a try.

Michael Foster

Reviewed October 2015

Walking the Picosde Europa

Really excellent walking in a surprisingly quiet area of Spain, good food, very good guide and great company.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the village of Tresvisio after climbing up the zigzag track for three hours. The view of Neveron de Urriellu from Cabesa La Mesa

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable, keen to ensure everyone got the most out of the trip and good fun

Advice for Potential Travellers

A good level of fitness is required to fully appreciate this level 5 week

gary collard

Reviewed October 2015

Walking in Picos de Europa (challenging week)

This was an amazing week of walking with stunning views which just got better and better as the week went on. There was a bit of rain at the start of the week but this also improved as the week went on and the last 3 days were spent in the glorious october sunshine. You really felt on top of the world at times and apart from the Cares Gorge we barely saw another soul on the walks so felt like we had the whole Picos to ourselves.
Jim and Pilar run a great hotel and really make you feel at home. The rest of the staff are great too.
Jim was great with giving everyone all the info for options on the free day and was happy to do anything to make sure everyone could do what they wanted even if only one person wanted to do a particular thing.
Really enjoyed the hotel food, some of the best I’ve had on an Exodus trip which is no mean feat.
A fantastic part of the world of which i knew little about and would love to go back to at some point.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the twin summits of Mancondiu which was a bit of a challenge but not as difficult as it looked.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alvaro was a brilliant leader full of enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for the area. He was a very friendly and funny chap to have lead us during the week and must have walked so much further than us with all his running round checking the group were all ok from front to back and making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. He even carried extra water in case anyone ran out which was rarely needed but showed he was doing everything he could to look after us all.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you feel you can do the challenging week then do it as I think you will be missing out on the full experience although I'm sure a standard week would be amazing too. Vegetarians need not be worried about food choices. The 2 vegetarians on our group thought the food really good. My favourite main of the week was actually the vegetarian choice on the last day. Make sure you are in the bar for some of Jim's evening tales.

Stephen Ormrod

Reviewed September 2015

Picos de Europa

An inspiration week in stunning mountain scenery. Good accommodation, excellent guide and we had good weather to cap a wonderful week

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting on the high peaks under a clear blue sunny sky in stunning mountain scenery and those amazing views

Thoughts on Group Leader

Álvaro One of the best guides I have known. Fun, warm hearted and helped to make our trip so memorable. Everyone was important.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be warned. You will fall in love with everything this trip has to offer and go home with many good memories

Danny Weddup

Reviewed September 2015

A fantastic week in the mountains

I went on the Grade 5 (Challenging) week in early September. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding week in all respects – the hotel, the food, the scenery, and the superb guide Alvaro. Of the 3 Exodus trips I’ve been on, this was my favourite, for 2 main reasons. 1 – Jim and Pilar who run the Hotel Torrecerredo go out of their way to make you feel at home, as do the other staff their. They explicitly said we should treat the hotel as our home for the week and their warmth and friendliness, as well as their relaxed attitude to guests coming and going, popping into the kitchen to ask something, relaxing on the terrace, or making themselves tea when they wanted it, really did make it feel like home. Reason 2 is the guide Alvaro, who for me was the ideal group leader.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are several! Reaching the twin peaks of Mancondiu and traversing between them on an exposed ridge which was exhilarating and fun with incredible views. Completing the 24km Cares Gorge walk which was incredible throughout. Making the long descent into Bulnes down an ancient Roman path, and having a cold beer at the bottom. Seeing chamois running across the rocks on the descent on the last day. Seeing a rare wallcreeper on the rocks near the Mancondiu peaks.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent in all respects. Alvaro was sensitive to the differing needs of a varied group, which I can appreciate is no easy task especially on the Challenging weeks. He was extremely supportive and encouraging if people were struggling and displayed a rare sensitivity and empathy for which he should be commended. He also truly brought the region to life for us by telling us about the history, politics, religious traditions, flora and fauna, and cuisine of Asturias, always guided by the interests of the group! I have never met a group leader who is so attentive to the group as individuals, recognising everyone as different in their abilities, needs, and interests and responding to them in light of this. Thank you for a wonderful week in the mountains Alvaro,

Advice for Potential Travellers

The Challenging Week is indeed challenging so if you do not walk regularly you should do some dedicated preparation for this trip. The walks are up to 24km and can involve ascents and descents of over 1000m. You will be well supported but for your own comfort and enjoyment should ensure you have a good level of fitness and stamina if you're taking the grade 5 trip.

Helen John

Reviewed September 2015

walking the Picos de Europa

Wonderful holiday! Stunning scenery, perfect weather, exceptional guide , great group and excellent hotel with delicious food!

Most Inspirational Moment

Successfully reaching the optional additional peak on the last day and experiencing the amazing views and the sense of achievement.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Outstanding! Alvaro was all that one could want in a guide. He was endlessly encouraging and patient and went out of his way to ensure that absolutely everyone got the most out of the trip whenever possible allowing everyone to go walk at the pace that was natural for them. He had a passion for his area and a seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the flora and fauna , local history, culture, and food and drink.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it! I would say you do need a good level of fitness. I'd agree with the level 3 rating though some felt that it was possibly a bit higher. The dispensers in the hotel bathroom have very acceptable quality shower gel and shampoo and there is no need to take any extra towels if you do the beach trip on the free day.

Caitlin Patrick

Reviewed September 2015

Picos de Europa Hiking holiday

This was a lovely holiday- an excellent, short escape to a part of Spain that I was curious about. Cantabria and Asturia- the Spanish regions where the Picos are located- were beautiful and really untouristy, even in the middle of August. We also lucked into great weather; it was largely sunny, but not too hot (mid-high 20s celsius, but with a breeze). The hotel is cozy and beautifully located; the owners, Jim and Pilar, were very welcoming and helpful. It’s small but generally has everything you need, including a bar and patio area, and this was important because after a long day’s walking we didn’t often have the energy to stray far. The hikes are varied and seemed an appropriate length for a moderate level holiday. The break day was much appreciated to allow us a change of activity.

Most Inspirational Moment

I most enjoyed walking the higher peaks and high pasture areas of Picos. Our evening meals together as a group were always really fun.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alvaro, our group leader, was excellent. He is friendly, well-informed about the region ecologically, historically and culturally, and was very good at managing our group so that everyone got the most out of the experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring your own hair-dryer if you use one regularly.

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