Reviews

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

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13 Reviews

4.2 out of 5

Andrew Longden

Reviewed October 2024

A pleasant trip, but room for improvement

An expensive trip as no meals are included apart from breakfast. Hotel taxes and many admission charges are also not included. We would have liked more input from expert archeologists as we thought the input from Exodus was distinctly thin. Our group of 17 was large and had a high average age – so at times this trip felt more like a bus trip for the aged than an adventure holiday – indeed some members of the group were unable to keep up with aspects of the itinerary. This trip lacked the “wow” factor and energy of our other “grand tour” trips. It could, for example have been supplemented with more optional activities – cooking, wine tasting, etc at affordable cost (one or two things were offered at completely absurd prices). Overall, we enjoyed the trip but think it could be improved by having a smaller group and more intensive historical insight.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Roman mosaics at Villa Romana and the Norman church at Monreale were sensational.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tiziano was a popular leader, and he managed the basics of the holiday well. We would, however have liked more expert archeological explanations on the trip - it is noteworthy that a competitor trip is led by an expert archeologist who for example gives evening lectures. One negative - at no time was the group asked to wear seat belts on the bus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to budget for all meals apart from breakfasts, hotel taxes and tips for guides. We thought the hotels were generally excellent. Tiziano encourages filling water bottles at public standpipes but with respect, in hot countries, we prefer to have the health assurance of bottled water.

rachel kirsch

Reviewed June 2024

Definitely the best of Sicily

We have just completed The Grand Tour of Sicily with the fabulous Titziano guiding us every step of the way. I really felt no stone had been left unturned. We saw and experienced so much on this tour. I had no idea Sicily had so many important ancient sites and we weren’t expecting it to be so green in certain parts.In addition to Titziano, we had 3 local guides to show us specific sites. They were all able to bring places to life and tell stories rather than simply quoting a load of facts.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to mention ranging from seeing the actual template that inspired the UNESCO logo, a long, ceramic staircase, the magnificent mosaics of Monreale, the buzz of the Palermo markets, the fish market area in Catania, the little train that took us up to and around the old town of Modica, the backstreets of Syracuse and the impressive baroqueness of Noto. I could go on … but this review would then run into pages.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Titziano was an exemplary tour quide. His enthusiasm and love for Sicily is totally infectious. He worked extremely hard to ensure we all had an amazing time and we certainly did! As has been previously mentioned- he made anyone who had a birthday feel very special. I particularly appreciated so many of the little touches which demonstrated he was thinking how best to ensure we had a memorable trip. Suitcases that magically appeared in our rooms rather than our having to carry them up staircases and slopes. His carefully annotated maps for any place we visited and his useful WhatsApp messages that ensured we were fully informed of everything that was happening and any places we were visiting with useful suggestions of things to do and places to eat. If he’s your tour guide, you’ll have an amazing time. He’s a fantastic ambassador both for Exodus and Sicily.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are a lot of steps on this trip so come prepared. And also be prepared to put on a few pounds! The food is both delicious and plentiful. It’s actually pretty reasonable to eat out here. We were pleasantly surprised that almost all of the excursions or visits were included. We did the add on visit to the top (almost) of Etna. It’s comparatively expensive but we felt it was definitely worth it to be up reasonably close to the smoking crater.

P&E Rooke

Reviewed May 2024

A trip around Sicily

This trip has been running for several years and the itinerary works well. We felt there was a good balance between organized activities and free time to relax/explore on our own. We enjoyed wandering around Ortigia, Erice and Cefalu, but found Taormina underwhelming as, apart from the Amphitheatre, it is basically one long, crowded street of tourist shops and expensive boutiques. The accommodation was generally fine – our favourite was Il Barocco in Ragusa. The agroturismo stay was disappointing; we had expected a meal featuring homegrown produce, which was not in evidence!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking into the cathedral at Monreale and seeing the stunning mosaics was a standout moment. The Roman villa near Piazza Armerina is pretty special too. Selinunte: standing alone among wild flowers and grasses looking up at the honey-coloured stones of a Greek temple glowing against an intensely blue sky.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tiziano was brilliant! He is an experienced tour leader, yet his enthusiasm for Sicily, its food and culture is undimmed. He was great company and made sure everything worked well. He coped well with a couple of birthdays and one member of our group who became ill. He also included some additional stops at places of interest, which broke up longer journeys and added to the itinerary.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is an excellent trip. Take comfortable, light walking shoes. May is a good time to visit; not too hot and the flowers are in bloom, although be prepared for some variable weather. Sicily’s towns are often built on hills and there are many steps to negotiate – if you have a problem with these this may not be the tour for you, although they are a good opportunity to work off some of the calories gained from the lovely Sicilian food! We had plenty of opportunity to try a wide range of dishes. Be aware that portions are large and two courses are usually sufficient (antipasti and primi, or primi and secondi). The archaeological museum in Siracusa is a long walk away, confusingly laid out and quite boring. Worth missing. Some of the smaller museums (e.g., on Mozia) were better.

Jan Driscoll

Reviewed July 2022

Grand Tour May 7-21 2022

This trip was wonderful, especially after being released from Covid issues. Our guide Tiziano Tomasello was terrific. Very cheerful, helpful in every way. My cousin and I had signed on for the May 2020 trip, which was cancelled and again for the May 2021 trip, also cancelled. Many in our group had tried also. We all were very happy to finally get to Sicily. It rained our fist 2 days so hiking on Etna was strange; due to the weather the cable car was shut down and the top was covered with clouds. But there was a fabulous wine tasting after our wet hike. By the time we circumnavigated the island, Etna was erupting and highly visible from Taormina. The rest of the trip the weather was perfect, the local guides were also excellent. The most incredible site was the Villa Romana del Casale with gorgeous mosaics.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tiziano is a young man but very knowledgeable about leading a group and making sure all is well. He has been a guide in Germany, France and other places and is fluent in English, German, French, Italian and of course Sicilian.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try the food in the markets. All delicious. And the gelato is the best ever.

Deborah Sabadash

Reviewed November 2021

We are travelling again!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip — we were lucky to have such fantastic weather in October. The tour offers a great overview of the highlights of Sicily and many ideas for a return visit. We visited both historical and natural sites and had an opportunity to sample fantastic local cuisine. Hotels were comfortable and some offered rooftop terraces with views.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many highlights but I suppose my favourite day was the visit to the temple of Selinunte in its natural setting. It feels very untouristy, especially in the aftermath of the Pandemic. I love Noto and the other baroque towns -- Ragusa and Modica, as well as the stunning landscapes of the Zingaro. I also loved the Roman mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tiziano was charming, helpful, and good-humoured. We had a lot of laughs along the way. He is passionate about his island (and especially Palermo). He tried his very best to make everyone happy and to point out different things that could be of interest to different people.

Marion Watkinson

Reviewed June 2019

Tour of epic proportions

The only criticism of the trip was that a number of hotels which were a good standard and a wide variety of styles and locations had very poor breakfasts of mainly cakes and issues with the rooms. Plumbing problems air con not switched on and difficult to control. One hotel set in a cave was wonderfully appointed in an ultra modern style but the toilet flush was problematic and plaster dropped all over the floor and beds and our hair and faces due to the damp. More attention to detail is needed on the part of management. I was very pleased overall and the tour certainly lived up to expectations in all other respects. This is a very expensive tour and difficult to justify but I loved all the places we went to and would certainly go back for more.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to say as it’s all so inspirational but probably the mosaics and the engineering achievements in construction of the temples and villas. The museums offered a staggering array of artefacts especially the one housing the Morgantina findings. Sadly a grass fire prevented us from seeing the site itself but do go on this optional visit if you can.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mileena was passionate and knowledgable about all aspects of the tour. A geologist by profession and a highly experienced tour organiser. A real gem of a guide which was all I had hoped for from Exodus and the reason I chose this tour over other companies offering cheaper options.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes. June was not the best choice for sightseeing as it was unbearably hot but good for the beach visits if you have time. Mileena advised that November could be good for both activities but the weather is so unpredictable so difficult to generalise. There are many steps to visit the baroque churches in tour but hop on hop off buses and land trains can get you to see most places if you have trouble with knees and feet. You need incredible stamina for this tour but no more than most Exodus trips. I found it easier than my previous excursion to the Greek islands last year rated grade 1 and this was grade 2.

Chris Pope

Reviewed October 2018

Excellent tour

Do this tour! Excellent itinerary, no early starts, relaxed pace but full on interest, guided tours and “guided” free time to wonder, excellent guide, Tiziano and driver Allessandro, great group of 6 people, great food at local restaurants that had lots of character, really good choices. A couple of hotels could have been better standard but they were ok and in a great location so its a choice that I think worked, plus I wasn’t there for the hotels. That said a few great hotel picks in the mix too.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too difficult to choose one moment or place as it means "downgrading" all the other equally great places on this trip. If I have to pick one great one...….. its too hard! I can list the bottom ones - Zingaro walk could easily have been left out - not a great walk; the Mt Etna walk was a stroll on a windy hillside and didn't give any feel for Etna, its there to pass the time while any of the group do the optional summit excursion. (My following tour was a week walking on the Volcano trip so its not that I don't like walking!) All the rest of the itinerary is equal first.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tiziano and the driver Allesandro were both great. Good company, very cheerful, very helpful. Tiziano was always available and preceded each free time with an orientation tour and suggestions ending at the coffee shop where we could find him with any questions (we also had his mobile number)

Advice for Potential Travellers

If like me you are a bit fed up of long bus journeys on similar tours then this tour is great for you, the 14 days allocated means there are no early starts or long bus tips, I think the longest was 3 hours the rest were really short allowing enough time for a short sit down before another wonder around. The expert guides were all excellent. There is a lot of easy walking but easy really depends on your view of walking I guess. I don't want to steal another travellers comments but his app after about 10 days told him he had walked 70km - sounds like non stop walking but it really didn't feel like it -don't be put off you can walk around a lot or not according to your preference - the coffee shops are great!

Roslyn Harry

Reviewed July 2018

Fabulous tour with the best guide ever Milena and a wonderful driver Alessandro

The 15 day tour of Sicily was absolutely fantastic. The best tour guide ever, her name is Milena. A wonderful driver Alessandro. I felt that it was a pretty comprehensive tour of Sicily seeing all the highlights plus more. Fabulous food in restaurants where we ere taken by Milena. Verdict EXCELLENT.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to single one out.

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was fantastic.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a lot of walking and many steps, some steep.

suse sprenger

Reviewed June 2018

sicily grand tour

fast paced, every day a different town, our guide exceptional, hands on, helping beyond whats expected, every town we had a few hours private down time,first class transportation, charming driver,interesting accommodations.

Most Inspirational Moment

evening walks through Oritiga, Piazza Amerina, and Erice.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Milena was the most outstanding group leader I have ever had the pleasure to meet in my 20 years of travel, knowledgeable, good natured, caring on a personal level, without overreaching, making everyone happy and comfortable. on the long rides, giving commentary on scenery, history, any topic, but at the same time, letting people rest, sleep, and then introduce us to a new town. taking us out for dinner,as a group or letting people do their own things and helping them to find a suitable restaurant.

Advice for Potential Travellers

must be able to carry your laguage up or down stone steps to the hotel , or inside hotels. walking in towns up and down cobblestone lanes.

Marilyn Murray

Reviewed October 2017

Marilyn's Review

A really interesting holiday with lots of variety -loads of archeology and history, lovely churches, quaint hill top towns, nice coastal towns, main towns Catania(pretty) and Palermo(busy), mount Etna, very good group leader and local guides, a comfortable coach, good driver and of course great weather. I feel I have definitely seen the best of Sicily.
The accommodation unfortunately was disappointing except for hotels in Catania and Cefalu which were great. We had very damp rooms on two occasions, a B&B, quite basic tourist and tired hotel in Palermo etc. The holiday was not cheap and was advertised as having 3/4* hotels so I expected something better than we had.
I would rate it as Very Good if the accommodation had been better.

Most Inspirational Moment

Villa Romana in Casale - wonderful mosaics ; seeing(amazing views) and being on mount Etna

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent - very knowledgable and enthusiastic about archeology and Sicily in general. Good fun as well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a busy schedule.

Reply from Exodus

Exodus would like to thank Marilyn for her review, but we regret to read that she was disappointed with the quality of some of the accommodation. For this season, we have changed several of the properties in which groups can expect to stay, which we trust will prevent future clients experiencing similar disappointment. An updated list of properties can be found under the accommodation tab on our ADG tour webpage. We have also revised transfer time to allow clients more time in Cefalu. We are glad to read, nonetheless, that Marilyn found the hotels in Catania and Cefalu to be great! – Marta Marinelli, Product Manager.

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