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Reviews 823
Jim Russell
Mar 29,2023Vasu was so late booking our 4 Kanha game drives which resulted in us being in the worst sector which was dense jungle. We were not told that an extra 5K luggage allowance had been paid for so I travelled light with only 15K luggage . We did not have individual internal flight documents, we were all listed on one sheet. The Pench and Kanha guides did not understand our questions. We did not receive our final documents until one week before departure. I did not get a luxury tent at Satpura as promised. Vasu should have known that they only have 4 tents. At one stage, Vasu told me we were flying on the 6th March when it was the 7th. Are Cox and Kings this bad or is it just one person? I will not travel with them again. We should have had a tour leader throughout for the price we paid.
customer
Mar 29,2023Overall the tour was a success and we enjoyed it very much. The group got along very well and that helped a lot. The tour guide, Tayron Vargas, was superb. We have been on many tours over the last 20 years and he ranks a definite No. 1. He was very professional, calm, passionate about nature, knowledgeable, and mature way beyond his 27 years. You really should try to book him for all your tours. The driver for most of the tour was a gentlemen called Julio. Also excellent and it was very nice that he went out with us twice when we went out of the hotel for dinner as a group. Once again, an asset to his company. The hotels were good overall. We were expecting rustic and basic. All was fine except for 2 hotels which you need to be aware of: Arenal Paraiso Resort and Spa - the gardens were very well maintained and the reception area very grand but that was where the positives stopped. The rooms were dated beyond belief. They were constructed in the 70's and have clearly not been updated since. The bathroom were so dated and awful. Barely enough hot water to have a shower. The food was mediocre at best and very overpriced for the poor quality. This hotel is not of the category we would expect from Cox and Kings and you really need to consider using another property. The group were united in our feelings about this hotel. Overall dire and unacceptable. Travel Excellence should know the state of the rooms well and should really recommend an alternative. Trogon Lodge - beautifully laid out, the food and restaurant were great. However, the rooms need better heating and the bathroom windows need to be fixed so they could be closed properly. San Gerardo de Dota gets pretty cold at night and the heater was pretty flimsy and we were definitely worried about leaving it on at night. Overall though a fabulous location. The extension to Corcovado was particularly memorable. The rooms were wonderful, the food terrific, the staff first class and the guide good also. We were very pleased to have arranged this extension.
Mr Bhattacharyya
Mar 29,2023After my many posts above praising Coxandkings, Coxandkings not the same anymore what once it was. We took many many tours through Coxandkings tour company only ,years after years.,multiple tours each year.Kumbha Mela in 2013, Mongolia, Bolivia, Botswana, Chile,Peru, and many more all over the world, But we won’t again . Unless the tour advisers enjoy their work but only work for a job to support themselves it will not attract serious tourists like us any more. Their Best tour advisers We worked with We have found now have all left Coxandkings or gone missing. Last time I contacted Coxandkings was in August 2020 for Greece ,then still allowed for tour in spite of Covid ban worldwide but there was none to tour Greece except us so was cancelled. Since then I contacted Coxandkings again only recently after Covid is over but found them not workable .
Brigid
Mar 25,2023My partner and I have just returned from a trip around the golden triangle and Shimla. We booked with Cox and king through a travel agent, miles Morgan in cirencester.We flew out on the 10th and home on the 22nd March. We loved the holiday. The group was only 15 people, mostly couples. Our hotels, starting and ending at the Taj Palace, was exactly as expected. 5 star hotels, food and service, although the Oberoi hotel food offering didn’t have much variety. Our group agreed that our tour guide made the holiday for us. Mayank Dixit was amazing, he was very professional in practical matters, very knowledgable about india and the places we visited and managed our travels with ease, so we felt cared about. I definitely think a professional tour guide is key to a great holiday experience. Thank you Mayank.
Tracy
Mar 25,2023We booked the Grand Tour of South America departing in April 2023. We picked it due to the fantastic itinerary and what we believed to be a high end travel company. Due to the unrest in Peru and Government guidelines to “avoid all areas of protest” (precisely the areas the tour was going through!), we contacted Cox and Kings to request a change to an alternative tour. Cox and Kings response was appalling. Pay up the full balance or lose your deposit. They dismissed our concerns about the unrest and their ability to be able to keep to the itinerary we had booked. They even said “things” in Peru would be back to normal by the time our trip took place. An extremely uninformed response at best. Cox and Kings need to realise if you promote yourself as a 5 star luxury tour operator you need to put your clients at the centre of your decisions. We were left with the impression you were happy to take us on a trip which would not have been the one we booked and that we were making a fuss about nothing. You left us with no choice but to cancel and lose our deposit. Our confidence in your company was totally shattered. We will NEVER use you again and will be making a formal complaint to you and ABTA.
Paul
Mar 20,2023The trip was great, starting with a stunning visit to Amritsar. I was surprised how different it was to the other parts of India I have visited. The guide and driver were both excellent. Masroor was such an unexpected site and so peaceful. The operations team at C&K are very poor, they sent contradictory information and didn't sort out the confusing very well. They also failed to understand that the Kangra Mountain Railway has been closed for 4 months. The 2 night stop in Pragpur should be cut to 1 day. This was what all the other tourist did and would be a better use of time. Furthermore the hotel used there, the Judges Court has some problems. My room was very dirty, other had overflowing toilet cisterns and very smelly from mothballs being used to hid other smells. Its such as shame as the hotel has great character and the public rooms are in excellent condition. Overall a good trip but certainly room for Cox&King to Improve.
customer
Mar 15,2023Excellent holiday which lived up to expectation's. Very helpful guides and driver. Hotels were top class, only reservation being incorrect information regarding hotels facilities. Backwater trip much better than expected. Temples were interesting , however maybe one too many.
Jane Evans
Mar 14,2023Our holiday took almost 4 weeks to finalise with lack of communication from your travel consultant dealing with our request. All communication was initiated by us. We were unlucky with the person dealing with our holiday, but once another consultant became involved our holiday was finalised. We are now very happy with the itinerary and the price.
Peter Johns
Mar 09,2023Cox & Kings arranged a personalised tour of northern India for my wife and me, followed by six days in the southern state of Kerala. We visited Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur in the north, spent a day and a night cruising the backwaters of Kerala and spent the final days at a resort on Marari Beach. The organisation - which involved internal journeys by car, train and plane - was faultless. Everywhere we went we were met by company representatives who arranged all the details including luggage. Very highly recommended.
John Chisholm
Mar 08,2023Good programme which packed a lot into 2 weeks Excellent driver Fantastic visits to great monuments, temples and palaces Good guides at all the stops And always a local C&K rep to make sure all was going well
Julia Huddart
Mar 08,2023Our trip to Argentina was fantastic! We are very grateful to Ewa Machnik in the office who organised the trip for us and to all the guides who were exceptionally helpful, especially Mateos in Buenes Aires. Our internal travel was all on time and the hotels as expected from the brochure. It was sold as Classic Argentina and that was exactly what it was - thank you Cox and Kings!
eric weinrabe
Mar 08,2023My first visit to India and I fulfilled a bucket list item at the age of 82. The hotels were all top class and the food choices excellent. The itinerary was comprehensive and some days had long journeys by coach but always interesting things to see on the way. The whole experience exceeded my expectations. Special thanks to our Tour Manager (Ash) who did a great job in looking after us. Best part for me was the sight of the Taj Mahal; I’ll never forget it. I congratulate Cox & Kings for compiling an excellent itinerary and making the whole holiday one of the best I have been on.
Customer
Mar 08,2023Very happy with service provided
G Gregory
Mar 08,2023exceptional guide and itinerary. hotels and service excellent.
Bill G
Mar 08,2023Well planned trip to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala covering our particular areas of interest. Excellent, very personable driver and knowledgable guides.
Nicki Tonkin
Feb 23,2023Booked holiday to Peru and paid deposit in full, after hearing about the state of emergency in Peru we have tried to change our holiday to another country which is safe to travel to, or transfer the same holiday to this time next year. C&K are not budging at all and the only transfer they will consider is same holiday within 6months, however this does not fit with our work commitments Again they are trying to encourage us to pay the holiday in full. The company needs to take into consideration the level of risk clients are prepared for, at one point we were told the army would come out to protect us if required, surely if this is the case they should be cancelling the trips to Peru until it is safe. We will be making a formal complaint and complaint to ABTA. So disappointing as we very much looking forward to a fantastic holiday!!
Sharon Hurst
Feb 22,2023It was our first visit to Egypt. The representatives were attentive, kind and helpful. Nothing was a bother. They were keen to make sure our holiday experience was a good one. We were supported through various airport checks with ease and speed. The Egyptologists were knowledgeable and their enthusiasm for sharing historical facts was portrayed in a lively manner. We had a mixture of small group historical site visits or a personal guide. If we were in a small group, head sets were given and they were especially helpful in some of the more popular sites which could get crowded. The visits to outdoor temples occurred in the morning before it got too warm. Attention was given to every detail. Comfort was a priority. The transfer vehicles were exceptionally clean. Cold mineral water was always available, along with tissues, hand gel and an umbrella. I don’t think the umbrellas got much use! The Nile Cruise was absolutely fantastic. The food was delicious, the boat was very clean and the organised activities were fun. I would definitely travel again with this company.
Verne Shelton
Feb 21,2023Well organised, knowledgeable staff snd guides. Great service
Geoff Davison
Feb 21,2023We enjoyed a very busy tour of Chile with highlights in the Atacama desert and Torres del Paine. The nature of the country requires 5 internal flights which all worked well. Hotels were good and the scenery magnificent. Seeing guachos herding sheep as you imagine was a real unexpected bonus!
David Padden
Mar 30,2023The small group tour or Kerala was just the two of us. We had an excellent driver in Baiju who really looked after us, going far beyond being ‘just’ the driver. All the days had specialist local guides and being just the two of us, could focus on what we really wanted to see. We find the markets and small restaurants as interesting as the major sites that were on the official list. Hotels were all good, with excellent food and we would recommend the Indian wine ahead of others on offer. We saw so many interesting things that it is hard to list, and we would throughly recommend this holiday.