Headwater Holidays Avis 135

I booked a walking holiday with Headwater to Normandy to see the D day beaches, I paid £2720 for a single person package for the Deluxe/Premium option, it was very disappointing, the accommodation was very poor in two of the four places I stayed, the local rep never turned up for the welcome meeting on the first day at the arranged time of 6pm but she did show up at 2pm for a meeting with a couple doing the same itinerary as me but they were on the standard package and also had a much better room than me!!! The pre holiday maps and walking information was poorly written and only accessible online, I highlighted this before departure but was assured it would be fine at the welcome meeting!!! I also queried why I had no baggage label and was assured I did not need one, this was not the case. The walks were boring apart from the beaches and museums which were excellent but the walks were mainly through fields and hedgerows with not much else in between. What did work well was the cycle/walking maps app which I used on my phone, it was very good, the luggage transfer also worked well and driver was very friendly. I was not intending to put this negative review on but Headwater were supposed to contact me to get my feedback over the phone as the questionnaire they sent was limited, they said someone in the team would call me back in 28days as they were on holiday!!! It never happened, and my flight home was cancelled ( not Headwaters fault but just another blow) I paid £700 for single person supplement and also £300 flight supplement so I feel well and truly ripped of for the whole experience.

Used Headwater to organise a cycling and canoeing trip in the Dordogne area of France.
Whilst I thought there could have been some choice of hotel offered before the holiday was finalised, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get everything organised.
The agent, Fio, was very responsive to emails and we received a comprehensive data package a week before travelling, complete with OS maps.
Initially I thought the price was a little expensive but having just completed the trip, realised that it was worth every penny.
The organisation is France was excellent and the itinerary provided kept us informed every step of the way.
Our local contact Christine was very helpful and provided an excellent level of service.
The bikes, including an e-bike, and the canoeing equipment were of a good standard.
The hotels we stayed at, though rated 3stars were unique, and in some cases outstanding and provided an excellent level of hospitality together with fantastic half board options.
I would recommend this company and this trip to anyone who is looking to do things a little differently.

Not great. You can do much better for less cost. We won't be using them again.
Poor and unhelpful communication. Local 24hr helpline never answered the phone. No greeting or documentation on arrival so we had to chase that with UK office. Taxi transfers were late. Train travel arrangements were cheap "super economy" and we were told that was all that was available, which is just not true. Accommodation could have been better.
Walking routes were nothing special (eg. 3 hours just walking around vineyards?... Why?). There are more and better walking routes for the area available on free internet guides.
It's like no thought at all had been put into anything. Very expensive for what you get, and not up to our normal expectations.

Very disappointed with the poor presentation of my quote for a holiday in Malta which had errors and was not easy to follow. Also found the price extremely expensive. I booked essentially the same holiday independently for less than half the price. I understand this is a sister company of Exodus. If I was the CEO of Exodus, I would be worried

In summary; cycling down the Danube is a great holiday but don't rely on Headwater to provide a streamlined travelling experience - see below for details.

In July this year we went on an Austrian cycling holiday organised by Headwater. I sent them the following feedback on request but had no response from them. The cycling was great and my understanding is that Headwater outsourced the cycling part (bike hire and hotel booking) to a local company (radreisefreunde). That part of the holiday was excellent and all the hotels were great. Our disappointment was the getting to and from the holiday which was the part organised by Headwater. We had the following issues which, although not major, made the travelling section of the holiday into a chore instead of part of the holiday:

- We cycled from the Austrian border to Vienna but our flights were booked to and from Munich which meant we had to spend 6 hours travelling back to Munich on the last day. The holiday would have been improved by having flights back from Vienna.
- No arrangements had been made for us to get from Vienna to Munich at the end of the holiday. Only when we queried this were train tickets booked. However, seats were not reserved for us so we were unable to sit together for the 4 train journey. Knowing you needed to reserve a seat was the expertise we expected from Headwater.
- on arrival in Munich we had to transfer to the main station but that train ticket had not been booked and there were no instructions for whether we needed to or how to.
- When we arrived at our first hotel it transpired that our dinner booking clashed with the bike briefing. We were told we had to phone the restaurant to rectify this. We tried to phone all the numbers provided for help but there was no answer and the 24hr emergency number was not a real number. We had to leave a message on the general phone number and did get a response (but not a solution to the clash)
- we had booked full board on your advice but were "told off" in one hotel for foolishly choosing that option. It hadn't been made clear to us that it would mean we were on a restricted menu and that we could have easily eaten a la carte each night.

Walking tour in Montenegro

I have just returned from an eight-day tour booked through Headwater that took in three national parks and the Adriatic Coast.

We flew to Dubrovnik where we were met and taken on mountain roads to Zabljak, a ski resort. The hotel lacks lifts but was comfortable and centrally located near the supermarket and restaurants where we dined.

On our first day of hiking we visited the Durmitor National Park where we saw the glacial Black Lake before enjoying a memorable group picnic by Snake Lake with local produce and wine to celebrate a member’s birthday.

The national parks have rare virgin forest. Often when walking you are joined by well behaved unleashed dogs. We also saw goats, sheep, butterflies and wild flowers. Our guide Danijela spotted a baby snake and blue beetles. She also pointed out rose hips, pomegranates and enabled us to taste local blueberries.

Unfortunately it rained on our second day but our itinerary was adjusted so that we didn’t get too wet yet enjoyed some local sights such as Eye Lake. The weather spoilt the panoramic view but Danijela showed us pictures from a previous visit and was always armed with maps to help explain the geography and history of the country and Yugoslavia (southern Slavs) more generally. It was very educational.

Danijela was always familiar with the countryside and able to adapt the routes for our group. Sometimes we veered off the beaten track and really felt we were experiencing something special. There were uphill climbs and rocky terrain but we were unhurried and could progress safely.

Our third night was at the Hotel Bianca, Kolasin, a beautifully designed ski lodge with a warm wooden interior and an amazing swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi.

We passed through the capital city of Podgorica on our way to the Mausoleum of Prince Bishop Petar II. A hot day and altitude made it a challenging climb but the 360-degree view was worth it. After lunch we hiked down to our minibus, waiting to take us on the serpentine road with its breathtaking views of Kotor and the Adriatic Coast to Perast, our base for four nights.

Perast is largely pedestrianised and accommodation at the Conte spread out. The town has a Venetian feel with its waterfront terraces and churches. We swam in the sea and were able to view fish and the boats coming and going in the harbour area.

On the one day with no cruise liners in port we took a boat to the nearby island of Our Lady of the Rocks before carrying on to Kotor. Here we climbed about 1,300 steps from the River Gate to St John Fort before returning to the town with its cathedral, city walls, market, cafes, shops, museum and plentiful cats.

Next day we visited Godinje for a home made cheese, prosciutto and wine lunch at a fourteenth-generation family vineyard. Afterwards we descended to Lake Skadar, the largest Balkan lake. From our ‘Pelican’ boat we spotted kingfishers and yellow heron, as well as water chestnuts and water lilies. The boat stopped for us to swim mid lake with the mountains of Albania visible in the distance.

Our last hike was on the Vrmac peninsula with its outstanding views of Kotor and Porto Montenegro bringing our walking holiday to a pleasant conclusion.

Recently visited the Swiss Alps on a walking/biking holiday with Headwater. It was an amazing experience. The landscapes were incredible. I've never seen anything like it! The trip was very well organised, the route maps worked well and the local agents were friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.

Recently returned from an amazing time in Mont Blanc! The walks were fantastic and the views were out of this world! The local agent discussed the planned routes with us on arrival before we set off to explore the vibrant Chamonix. After a few days walking here we crossed the border to our next stop Courmayeur and took in the views from the Italian side of Mont Blanc. It really was a once in a lifetime trip!

In July we enjoyed a breathtaking trip to Switzerland with Headwater, from start the finish the trip, the holiday blew us away, from the stunning scenery, wonderful hotels and knowledgeable agents on the ground to enhance the overall experience was amazing. Can't wait to travel with Headwater again soon!

Headwater didn't print my review even though they say they print all reviews unless there are exceptional circumstances so I'll print it here.
The booking process was good and they arranged an additional hotel stay in Rome beforehand which was good. However, the accommodation was not what we expected as stated on the website, not the Agriturismo La Pietriccia with wonderful views across to Chianciano, but at the Poggio de Rose apartments 100m down the hill with frosted windows so we couldn't see out even if it was only to the builders yard over the road. The food was disappointing considering it was supposed to be traditional Tuscan fare. However, the wine was excellent and the hotel owner was brilliant - so helpful in planning all our days out.
There was another group of guests, walkers, who were going to write a review, that hasn't appeared either??

Recently returned from Headwater's 'Highlights of Northern Portugal' walking trip. What a beautiful area! I've never been on a holiday where I saw three distinct regions all in one week. Starting in the Douro wine region, it was incredible to see the vast vineyards and of course taste the wine. Next was the impressive mountains of the National Park before ending on the Atlantic Coast - recommend adding extra nights in Porto. Local agent was fantastic, as was Headwater's service before and after our trip.

Great cycling tour in Algarve organised by a very knowledgeable team. The selected hotels are amazing and the Headwater app is very easy to use and gives you local information about places to visit.

We thoroughly enjoyed our self guided walking in the s.w tip of Portugal. The app was useful in route finding. It was a fascinating discovery of rural Algarve as well as the magnificent coasts and golden beaches of the south coast. We stayed in lovely hotels and enjoyed fantastic food, lots of fish! A really good introduction to the area.

Organisation pre-departure was very chaotic and stressful, which was concerning. Most of the trip was organised, apart from being sent to an incorrect hotel one evening, as they had changed the booking without telling us. Bike hire quality was fairly poor - badly maintained bikes and my chain snapped one ride leaving us in the midday heat which was not great and delayed us getting to our destination. The route was good for 4/6 days, average for 1 day and awful for one day - I am unsure why this route was picked really. Overall, we enjoyed our holiday as 4/6 days were great but there are definitely parts we feel should have been much better and could be improved.

A great cycling holiday in the south of Italy, it was varied in scenery, from coast to farmland, no wonder it is called Contrasts of Puglia. Same for the accommodation very varied and wonderful hosts at each property, particularly Masseria Salamina Tasty locally sourced cuisine to give us the pedal power for each day. The E bike option is highly recommended. Thank you for a great holiday in the sunshine.