In Our Customer’s Say Blog Series, you have the voice! Margie and her sister had the ultimate Downton Abbey Experience and travelled across England in one week. This is what she had to say about their trip…

I promised my sister that one day I would take her to Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). With the help of Jackie Slaughter at Finest Journeys I was able to make her dream come true. The schedule prepared for the trip, the choice of hotels, pre-purchasing of attraction tickets, choice of sights to visit, and the car and driver waiting each morning made our trip something we will talk about with excitement for many years to come. I highly recommend Jackie and Finest Journeys when you plan your next trip. I am ready to go again.

Highclere Castle – Downton Abbey

I accomplished what I set out to do and that is to get my sister to Highclere. It was more than worth it. It was so nice to have the tickets beforehand and not have to stand in line to purchase them. The only problem I had was trying to see everything in the time we had. I could have spent days wandering through the mansions, castles, and palaces.

The Costwolds, Oxford, Bath and more

The Cotswolds were breathtaking. And the villages we stopped in were so fascinating we spent more time than we had. We missed the walking tour in Oxford because we spent too much time in Waddesdon Manor. Plus Stewart knew of a great little pub for lunch. We had our own walking tour and saw the college my nephew attended for a semester. Same thing for the Hop On Hop Off in Bath. We walked to the Roman Baths and toured the Clothing Museum instead. So if I had anything negative to say it would be just too many wonderful things to see and do.

A side note: I remember Stonehenge as being bigger the first time I saw it. But I was 6 at the time. Still awe inspiring.

 

London and Harry Potter

The dinner cruise was a lot of fun. The food and service were excellent and I had never seen London from the Thames at night. The free day at the end of the tour was perfect. I made reservations to see the Warner Brothers Studio Tour of the Making of Harry Potter. We are both big Harry Potter fans.

The Hotels

We were very happy with all of the hotels. Each one was centrally located making it easy to walk to points of interest, dining, shopping, etc. In one of the hotels we stayed, the staff were especially helpful. When my sister broke the lock on her carry on bag, we couldn’t unlock it but fortunately the hotel reception desk was undergoing renovations. The concierge had one of the workmen cut the lock off the bag and saved the day. When we needed directions or a taxi for certain attractions we wanted to see the front desk were more than helpful. They not only gave us a map but they took the time to point out the best ways to get where we wanted to go. The Breakfast Buffet was delicious. And I still say Great Britain has the best porridge in the world!

The Private drivers

I found out I really enjoy being chauffeured. One of our drivers, Mr Stewart, was an absolutely delightful person. By the end of the trip we wanted to take him home so he could continue to drive for us. He was always early for pickup, was eager to drive us anywhere we wanted to go in addition to the schedule, and was happy to google for information as we couldn’t get wifi on our phones. The car was very clean and in very good working order. Five stars and more. The other driver was also very professional despite the glitch with the bus door. When it kept opening and closing on it’s own he had a replacement vehicle for us in a little over half an hour. Very knowledgeable about the area.

All in all I was very happy with the package Finest Journeys planned for us. If, or I should say when, we return to Great Britain I will definitely keep your company in mind. The price was affordable and I will recommend you to my friends and family.

Thank You, Margie  

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