Balkans Uncovered Luxury Tour

Customer Reviews

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  · October 5th, 2024
  The guide (Milos) and driver were excellent who brought out all the fun and cooperation of the tour group. They made the tour such a success. The luxury title applied to most (except 1) accommodation and they were appreciated after all the travel each day. Some local guides added superbly to our knowledge of each city within the 7 Balkan countries. Due to the tightness of the itinerary, there was little opportunity to add some important requests for more time at some centres. Some closer links between the Circonia Journeys listed program and what occurred needs some resolution !
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  Ciconia Exclusive Journeys commented on this review

  Hi, thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that Milos and our driver played such pivotal roles in fostering a fun and cooperative atmosphere within your tour group. It's wonderful to know that the luxury accommodations met your... Show more
  Trip date: September 2024
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  Elizabeth A

  · July 14th, 2024
  Ciconia Exclusive Journeys Booking ID: 35252 Hello- I have just completed the June 21-July 2 Balkans trip. I only had a few minutes to complete the evaluation form and wanted to express my views more fully. Milan was our guide, and he did an exceptional job discussing the region. He managed all of the many details with precision and was caring and responsive to the needs of everyone on the trip. I developed significant back pain from the many hours on the bus every day sitting on a narrow seat. The safety belt locks dug into my hips and were extremely uncomfortable. Milan arranged two massage appointments for me during the trip. He checked in with group members almost constantly to see if anyone needed help or had questions. He made a genuine effort to get to know each of us as individuals. Igor was a great driver, managed the border crossings with skill, shared his prized recipe for rice pudding, and was a wonderful addition to our group. Both Milan and Igor had a great sense of humor. Everyone in the group was good natured and fun to get to know. I can say that I have technically been to each city listed on the itinerary, but I can't say that I got to know a single place - with the exception of Ohrid. We had 6-10 hours on the bus every day that we didn't change cities. In most places we had a 45 minute tour and sometimes an extra hour to explore. The local guides were either highly engaging and integrated interesting stories (Zoran in Ohrid and Maria in Sofia) or they recited boring facts about government buildings and dead communists. On some days we spent as much time at truck stops for bathroom/lunch breaks as we did in the actual destination. That is completely inadequate. The ratio of bus time to actually experiencing a place was roughly 80/20. We should have two full days in several cities. I teach history and was very frustrated to only walk past significant churches, museums, and markets without going in! It's not fun to feel like there is always a stopwatch running. Eighty percent of my photos were taken from inside the tour bus. We should be given 3+ choices about what to eat for dinner each night. It was roughly 100 degrees and humid for much of the tour, yet night after night a pile of beef and potatoes buried in a salty sauce awaited. Heavy food in hot weather is really unappealing. Include chicken, cold soups, fruit, dinner salads, and vegetarian options throughout the trip. It's more important to me to eat food that is healthy and appealing than to eat traditional Balkan dishes. Revamp the itinerary. Which cities have really interesting markets/bazaars? What are some of the "must see" museums, gardens/natural areas? Is there a festival happening somewhere along the route? Integrate opportunities to enjoy a variety of activities. Travel is about moments: engaging with local people at a market, discovering something that amazes you, and feeling like you have had a unique experience with time to savor it. The pace of the trip felt very rushed; build in a mid-trip "vacation from your vacation" day that allows people to sleep in and decide how to spend their day. Please provide some guidance about money. Identify a bank ATM near each hotel that allows one to use a debit card to get euros. Give an idea of what a $20 USD/Euro/CAN/Australian withdrawal would cover in terms of lunch, snacks, church entries, and toilets. It's hard to guess how much money to withdraw from country to country. The hotels were well chosen. The Unique in Ohrid was a standout. Trebinje, Skopje, and Sofia were great, too. With the exception of the Hotel Grand Europa in Shkoder, all of them had excellent breakfast buffets and were comfortable. I realized that I had to think of this trip as reconnaissance - a brief glimpse to decide which places I want to return to and explore in-depth. For $4,785, that is not an acceptable outcome. I had a great time getting to know everyone in our group, enjoyed the scenery as we drove (and drove and drove), and really had fun in Ohrid. But I should have gained a much deeper understanding of each city's culture, layout, and place in Balkan history. Sincerely, Betsy Gutstein
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  Trip date: June 2024
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  David

  · May 6th, 2024
  To add to my wifes comments this exceeded my expectations both in terms of content and delivery or the tour by Bojan (and Barry!). So some additional pictures…
  
  Trip date: May 2024
• DK

  David

  · May 6th, 2024
  Our guide Bojan was excellent.Very knowledgeable,considerate and with a great sense of humour.Thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary.Well paced with a great variety of tours and activities which were all very well organised.Highly recommend
  

  Ciconia Exclusive Journeys commented on this review

  Hi David, thank you for your review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful time on our Balkans tour and will be sure to pass your kind words onto Bojan. We look forward to welcoming you on another tour with us soon! All the best, Ciconia Team
  Trip date: May 2024
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  Norm

  · April 19th, 2024
  My experience with this tour was great. The hotels were tops. Our tour guide very attentive and knowledgeable. Our bus driver, Barry, was the best. The itinerary is very busy and a bit tight. I would suggest spending less time at Dubrovnik and more at Kotor. Our pre-fix meals were good, but maybe offer a choice of two or three entrees? Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip!
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  Ciconia Exclusive Journeys commented on this review

  Hi Norm, thank you for your review! We are always looking for ways to improve our tours for future travellers so we really appreciate your feedback regarding the itinerary and meals. We're so glad to hear you had a wonderful time on tour and hope to see... Show more
  Trip date: April 2024
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  Xingyan

  · September 30th, 2023
  The itinerary was good. The food was good.
  

  Ciconia Exclusive Journeys commented on this review

  Hi Xingyan, thank you for taking the time to leave your review! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed the itinerary and food on tour. We hope to welcome you on another adventure with us soon! All the best, Ciconia Team
  Trip date: September 2023
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  Jason

  · February 2nd, 2023
  Wow, so many countries to fit into 12 days , it was all worth it , everything was so well organized , This was a tour that fulfilled all our expectation . The tour leader Bojan was amazing and fun to be with, answering any questions we may have , bot did we all have a lot , he was very patient , thank you Bojan. The driver was good too, always alert and friendly and kept the bus very clean. Accommodations were good, very comfortable , then again you expect that from a 5 star hotel. Thank you for a wonderful holiday.
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  Trip date: August 2022