Reviews

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

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37 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Susan Hall

Reviewed June 2022

Fabulous Trip

Really enjoyed this trip to Puglia, staying in some really unusual accommodation. From the caves of Matera, through my personal little trullo house in Alberobello to the 13th century former palace in Ostuni and even the modern hotel in Lecce, it was all great. This part of Italy is so varied and stunning in both countryside and architecture, it makes for a very varied and enjoyable holiday. There is an excellent mix of culture, food and wine tasting, beach, walking and free time so that the week didn’t feel at all rushed yet we packed in loads. I must commend our guide Nino who went to enormous lengths with a quite demanding group to ensure we all had a great time. The local guides were extremely knowledgeable and made both Matera and Lecce come alive with their vast understanding of the history of each town and the visit to the olive farm and the winery were both very enjoyable and informative. I opted to visit the Castellana Grotto which is a must-see, biggest cave system I have been in – very impressive indeed. All in all an excellent trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Claudio Riso's workshop in Lecce, what he can achieve with paper mache is just incredible! The incredible mosaic floor in the Otranto cathedral - still can't get over the fact that the public can walk on it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Antonino (Nino) was an excellent group leader. He had just the right approach to the group, providing information but not excessively so, a great sense of humour and a real desire to resolve any issue, no matter how small, to ensure that everyone had an enjoyable holiday. Nino went out of his way at times to arrange suitable dining experiences to suit all tastes and budgets and was extremely accommodating with everyone's requirements for free time and when the heat, steps and distances were too much for some group members to participate in the planned walks. Nino also went out of his way to sort out the chaos at Bari airport on the return journey when our flight was cancelled at short notice, managing to get flights the next day for a lady who was going to run out of medication. It would have been helpful if BA had actually notified someone in Exodus of the cancellation so that he was better informed. As it was I was the only person who received a prior notification, because my booking wasn't included in the group booking for some reason.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just be aware that the nature of the landscape particularly in Matera and Ostuni is such that walking involves a great number of steps, so this is not a suitable holiday for anyone with mobility issues. The walking is very gentle but proved challenging because of the extreme heat which I hadn't anticipated in May (it was 30+C each day), so worth going earlier or later in the year, if like me, you are not good walking in the heat.

Penny Broomhall

Reviewed June 2022

Puglia May 2022

Pleased to visit an area previously unknown to me. We experienced unseasonably hot weather (some days 35 degrees in May) which made walking the streets of some cities difficult. The free day at Monopoli we agreed to be shortened in order that some time could be spent viewing our base Alberobello. I was surprised not to have dedicated transport which led to some timing issues and having to walk to the meeting point. Overall a tour of varieties of cities/sea side/olive groves with some good recommendations of where to eat.

Most Inspirational Moment

As a keen photographer parts of the architecture and street photography highly rewarding. Matera at night as initial sight highly worthwhile. The main square at Lecce a wow moment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nino has guided on this tour for a number of years and become knowledgeable about the area. He dealt with a group of 16 women quite well. He was perhaps ambitious in his timings for us to walk to destinations as there were a couple of us with walking issues.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for scrambling up and down highly uneven sometimes steep steps/streets.

Sue Potter

Reviewed May 2022

James Bond locations, baroque towns and wonderful food

A lovely and unexplored part of Italy. Interesting hill top towns and coastal areas. A very relaxed trip with plenty of free time (maybe a little too much). Matera, Alberobello and Lecci were the highlights for me. All stunning. Food and wine excellent everywhere: plenty of local cuisine. Polignano, Ostuni and Otranto were lovely but easily seen in a couple of hours. Graded as 1 but there are lots of steep steps in Matera and Ostuni. There was an extra walk added from the masseria lunch to Ostuni (about 2 hours) which hadn’t been mentioned in the trip notes and meant those unable to walk had to pay for a transfer. Definitely need good shoes for this. We were unable to complete the listed coastal walk due to rain.
All hotels were great, central and/or in historic buildings. No long journeys.
Would recommend for a relaxing introduction to the region.

Most Inspirational Moment

Matera: seeing the kestrels swooping in the mornings, views all over the town, esp from the gorge walk. Staying in a trullo The visit to the olive farm. Lecce's wonderful cathedrals and rooftop terrace of hotel.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabrizio was very enthusiastic and helpful, with lots of suggestions for restaurants etc. He did a lovely welcome/orientation session. Always joined us for meals, was very good at dietary requirements etc. His instructions/timings etc were always very clear. He was always very sociable with the group and happy to chat. As previously mentioned some of his information was out of date eg opening times for cathedral, restaurants but this was probably due to post Covid changes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good shoes. Waterproof and jacket for the April departures. Solo travellers should be aware that there are quite a few free afternoons.

Elisabeth Mulgrew

Reviewed April 2022

An interesting tour of this region

This is an interesting tour overall. The three main places visited – Matera, Alberobello and Lecce – are all so historical and individually fascinating to explore, yet completely different. The accommodation is similarly characterful and varied; potentially having a cave room in Matera, next a trullo in Alberobello, then a converted monastery in Ostuni (my room, in the roof, had the original guttering inside the room!) and finally an old palazzo in Lecce. There is a lot of free time outside of the designated free day, which might not suit some people, particularly solo travellers who don’t bond as well with others in their group (our group of twelve had six solo travellers and those who wanted to could always find someone to explore with, as everyone was pretty sociable). Although this trip is graded as leisurely, there is a lot of walking around the various places visited, sometimes involving quite steep climbs on steps/cobbles/slopes, especially in Matera.

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying in the trullo in Alberobello was such an unusual experience - I instantly fell in love with "my" trullo as I walked into it! Castellana Caves was the best cave system I have visited (despite the rather horrible guide!), with some truly stunning formations. The olive farm tour and tasting was a surprising highlight due to the sheer knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides there as well as the preserved historical aspects, plus the superb oil!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabrizio was very sweet and enthusiastic, drawing us in with his "hello friends" welcome from the start! His information wasn't always totally up to date, possibly because of Covid, and he hasn't yet realised that toilets are an important need after a journey, but he was still lovely to be with.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure that you have comfortable walking shoes with a good grip - the cobbled streets can be slippery if it rains and in most of the places visited, but especially Matera, you will mainly be going up and down steps/slopes when walking around. Be prepared to be left to explore on your own at some point of every day, sometimes for quite a few hours! Castellana Caves is the option I did on the free day - superb caves, and big (3km underground, in sometimes slippery conditions, and very humid too - so we got very hot, especially as we had to wear FFP2 masks throughout the tour). I gather that Monopoli was very enjoyable from those in our group who chose that. Our guide arranged transfers to both, the cost of which was split between those going (so we paid 16 Euros for the cave transfer but those going to Monopoli paid 37.50 Euros as there were a lot fewer of them).

David Butterworth

Reviewed October 2019

A wonderful area to explore

Leisurely was the description….a fairly lively leisurely …. great trips, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful leader. Some amazing places to visit and accommodation to stay at – all comfortable and most very different.

Most Inspirational Moment

Supper with everyone at a farm where we were served with home grown produce, all of which was delicious

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pleasant, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your camera with plenty of memory card space and don't forget the charger/s you'll need

Jen S

Reviewed May 2019

A taste of a lesser known region of Italy

This trip gave a flavour of the region of Puglia in more ways than one… Staying in four different locations across the week, we learned about the importance of olives and wine in the region with visits to a an olive grove for olive oil tasting and a factory for wine tasting, and were encouraged to try local specialities by our leader who at group meals ordered a range of typical dishes so that we could try a variety. Although not specifically a food tour, food has to be a major part of any trip to Italy…

Most Inspirational Moment

Exploring the alleyways of white-walled hill-town Ostuni as the sun was going down.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walks (I can't speak for the one from Otranto, which we were unable to do due to bad weather) were fairly flat and easy. The guided town tours are if anything more strenuous as they are longer! (Note, the one around beautiful Matera does involve a few steps and sloping paths, the only way of seeing this town built into the sides of a gorge). Walking trainers or even walking sandals are appropriate for all walks on this trip. My personal advice - take your coffee the way the Italians do, stood at the counter with an espresso cup and a glass of water. It's quick, nice, local, gives you a caffeine boost, gives free access to a toilet, and usually there's cake available too! To nut allergy sufferers - be aware that in this area hazelnut is commonly mixed with chocolate in pastries and desserts. There is a great love of Nutella! Always check before ordering!

Mike Wells

Reviewed November 2018

Varied tour of a fascinating region

The region was rewarding and not very touristy. Towns were full of atmosphere. Some enjoyable walks. Hotels were close to centres. Not too much coach travel and enough free time. Warm and friendly guide. But quite a bit of walking so
Might be difficult for those even with some mobility problems and not all accommodation great. Free day a bit problematic as limited public transport and a day in arivabello not all that interesting. But guide helped and we went to two nice towns so not insuperable. Local food and wine was good. Recommended but be prepared to walk

Most Inspirational Moment

The towns all full of atmosphere and the whole week more than any individual visit was inspirational

Thoughts on Group Leader

A lovely lady lively and energetic

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t go if you can’t walk easily or want luxury resorts. You might prepare by learning a little Italian as outside hotels English isn’t much spoken though you could get by

Lynette Zeitz

Reviewed November 2018

Great itinerary but let down by poor accommodation

The itinerary was very interesting and our tour leader Barbara was great. But the accommodation overall was not good. I wasn’t expecting luxury accommodation but clean and comfortable. However, in every hotel including the 4 star hotel in Ostuni there were problems for various members of the group but the worst was the Sassi accommodation in Matera where I had fresh black mould in my bathroom. Like the other recent reviewer, I found the included dinner very poor. Our group was also supplied with a minivan and bus on two different days that had broken seatbelts. I really would have liked to have rated this trip higher because the sights and experiences were great.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking around Alberobello and Matera

Thoughts on Group Leader

Barbara was a delight. Knowledgeable, warm and attentive to the different needs of the group.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Lynette for her feedback. Whilst we are pleased that she enjoyed the itinerary and found her tour leader, Barbara, to be great, we are very sorry that she was disappointed with aspects of the accommodation. The properties on this tour are usually in typical Apulian style buildings and generally receive positive feedback, so we regret if members of her group encountered issues. The hotel in Matera is carved from rock, thus reflecting the typical and unique architecture of the town, but the material sometimes causes issues with dampness when it rains and we are sorry that this affected Lynette’s stay. We have followed up the issue regarding the broken seatbelts with our local operator to ensure with the transport supplier that this does not reoccur. Marta Marinelli – Product Manager

Verity Barnes

Reviewed September 2018

Great tour but disappointing hotels

I thought the tour was great and enjoyed where we visited and the activities included.

I was disappointed with the hotels. Only the hotel in Ostuni was 4 star; and the rest 3 star.

This tour cost a lot more than Riviera, Just You or Travelsphere and only Had 2 meals included.

I was expecting it to be a cut above the rest for the price paid.

The tour was good and the tour manager excellent. Shame it was let down by the choice of accommodation. I also found the places we stayed in to be much too touristy.

Most Inspirational Moment

When I went on my own to Polignano a Mare for the night.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are fussy about where you stay then don’t book this tour.

Jan Watson

Reviewed June 2018

Wonderful trip in Puglia

I loved every minute of this very diverse tour. Every day was different and very interesting, our group leader Fabrizio was awesome and the individual group participants were lovely and lots of fun. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Most Inspirational Moment

Matera was a highlight - I wish I had arranged for extra days there.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Awesome! Very informative and loads of fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Embrace the diversity of this tour.

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