Review Time
If you want to spend your holiday on a coach this is the one for you. We left the hotel generally at 8.00 am and arrived at next destination between 6.00 and 9.30 pm - often after the hotel restaurant had closed. Left San Cristobal (Mexico) at 5.30 am (lugging hand baggage through the streets in the rain for 1/4 mile to reach the coach) to spend 16 hours before getting to next hotel in Guatemala. Lots of padding to break up the long journeys (carpet factory, Mexicali distillery, “Mayan” meal [looked like a normal restaurant to me]). The archaeological sites were good but you might be only there for two hours and spend the rest of the day on the coach. Most of our group went down with colds, coughs and blocked noses / ears due to the long exposure to air conditioning on the bus. A number expressed the wish to be able to go home well before the three weeks were up. We survived but I would not repeat the process.Journey times in the itinerary were hopelessly inaccurate. There must be a way to use internal flights to avoid 1000’s of kilometres on a bus.Forced to fly from Cancun back to Mexico City when there are direct flights from Cancun to London.It did not feel like the needs and comfort of the clients were taken into account. Little or no opportunity to rest and relax.Three stars given only for the extraordinary archaeological sites.
Holiday to Mexico and Guatemala. Dreadful hotels at the beginning of the tour with very poor breakfasts. The hotel in Oaxaca was particularly bad. We had a leaking sink so had to paddle in the bathroom. The towels were dirty and stained. Timings of the journeys were extremely inaccurate. All journeys were considerably longer than advertised in the itinerary - we spent many, many hours on coaches virtually every day - many journey times were double that described in the itinerary. The 2 border crossings were not the same as the itinerary and Jules Verne knew the crossing points had been changed - just failed to tell us. This meant instead of a 7 hour journey, we left the hotel at 5.30am and did not arrive at our destination until 9.30pm. Completely unacceptable. The second border crossing was due to be a crossing by boat and then a visit to a site only accessible by boat. Again the reality did not match the itinerary and we had another 8 hour coach journey instead.In addition the coach in Guatemala was unsafe and the windscreen would not demist. Very scary at night and on winding Guatemalan roads.We have received a paltry sum in compensation, given the misinformation from Jules Verne. And even this paltry sum was not given without a fight. If Jules Verne had been truthful with their itinerary we would never have booked this tour. DO NOT trust this company, find an alternative operator.
I travelled to Japan in 2024 on Jules Verne’s Earthly Treasures tour, costing £6,770. The itinerary included 9 pre-arranged group meals in high-end restaurants. At the time of booking, I clearly informed the company of my dietary requirements — vegetarian and gluten-free — and was reassured these would be accommodated.In reality, I was not provided with any suitable food at any of the included meals. The local guide told me the restaurants had not been informed and that the chefs would not adapt the menus. Even when I offered to compromise (allowing fish stock and soy sauce as long as the meal was vegetable-based), nothing was provided.As a result, I went hungry on multiple days, lost weight, and felt excluded from the social side of group dining. Mealtimes were a major part of the tour’s experience, yet I sat watching others enjoy elaborate multi-course meals while I had nothing. It was upsetting, isolating, and not what I paid for.When I complained, the company pointed to its terms and conditions, which say dietary requests are “not guaranteed.” ABTA’s arbitration scheme upheld this clause and awarded only £520 as a goodwill gesture.To me, this feels deeply unfair. On the one hand, I was reassured that my dietary needs would be met; on the other hand, small print was later used to avoid responsibility. For a £6,700 premium tour, I expected honesty and transparency. If meals cannot be adapted, this should be made clear before booking, not hidden behind terms and conditions.My hope in sharing this is not just about my own disappointment, but to warn other travellers: if you have dietary needs, ask for written confirmation before you book, and be cautious about relying on verbal assurances. I also hope tour operators will be clearer in their marketing so that no other customer experiences the same distress I did on what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.
We have recently returned from the bushveld and battlefields tour oct 2024. Life the guide and the driver were excellent. Life was outstanding from the start and nothing was too much trouble. He sorted any problems and was clear throughout on the tour. However, when we visited the battlefields lodge we were highly disappointed. Two sockets were damaged showing bare wires and loose connections, the wiring was downright dangerous!(see attached photos) The smoke detector wasn’t connected and lay on the counter. There was mould in the bathroom with cracked tiles. The bar shut at 9pm at night!. There was a blazing row amongst drivers from another company adding to the noise, which I had to intervene! We were told on day two at Kruger, that our included afternoon drive on safari had been cancelled. Thanks to one of our fellow travellers and Life our guide, this was thankfully remedied, for which we are grateful for your prompt action at your UK end. But this never should have arisen. The last hotel the cathedral peak was excellent, but we would suggest an extra day at the end of the holiday to relax and enjoy the facilities. The itinerary said we would have the last morning to relax but this wasn’t possible, as we all had to get to the airport that was over 5 hours away! That has no reflection on Life our guide or the driver as they rightly knew that it would take a long time to drive to the airport, esp with the state of some of the roads. The visit to Pilgrims rest was in ours (and others from the group) pointless, which put extra pressure on Life our guide and the driver. We nearly missed the visits to the other places that day. We also had time constraints which meant we could not get to the Talana battlefield and museum on time. Life our guide did manage to get the staff to hold on for us to look at a section of the museum, but that wasn’t really worth doing, despite their gallant efforts. (the interesting military section was closed.) This was perhaps a museum visit too far due to the time constraints, traffic and state of the roads. The visit to the lake takes some time, and we felt the trip on the boat on the lake could perhaps have been longer that an hour. It was fascinating, but we feel needs to be longer. Again we didn’t have time to visit the military museum in ladysmith which was disappointing again. Again not the guide or drivers faults, the roads were terrible and cost us a lot of time
We have been home now for a week after our Classic Tour of Albania with Jules Verne. It was fabulous from start to finish. From booking on-line, to speaking with a customer service operator to the tour itself. We were met at the airport in Tirana by our Guide, Klodian, and our driver, Genti, and they stayed with us the whole week. They were both magnificent. Klodian was an exceptional guide. His knowledge on everything Albanian was above and beyond. He was extremely friendly and his English was fabulous. Everyone on our tour enjoyed his company and every question we asked, he answered. Our driver, Genti, lived up to his name and was a true gent. Always polite, friendly and we always felt safe in his hands - especially as the traffic was so busy in Tirana. Unfortunately he had to leave early due to a personal loss, but Dennis, his replacement was just as diligent.The tour itself was amazing. We took in Kruja, Tirana, Berat, Llogara National Park, Gjirokastra and back to Tirana We stayed an extra 3 days in Durres to have an extension on the beach. All hotels were extremely clean with amazing staff, food and location. We saw a lot of castle, archeological sites and a lot of history. There was a lot of walking involved in this tour, with some steep steps and hills, but on the whole we all coped with this.I truly couldn't recommend this tour highly enough, and we will definitely book again with this brilliant company. Just wish Klodian (Klodi) would be our Guide again.
It’s big fraud platform company in whole world fraud happened with me 16000 dollar with them and I am finding to contact their customer service they are saying can’t provide information of customer service guys let’s join me we need to raise sounds against them they are eating people money with lot of enjoy They are making fool to people. If you are not a fraud let me allow to contact you
Hiodden Spain: guide had no communication or organisational skills. His English was poor. He lived in southern Spain, we were in the Basque country. He knew nothing about the area and talked about southern Spain all the time. We had all been to the south many times. He seemed completely unaware of this. He read notes off the net, which we could have done.
I have just come back from the Golden Road to Samarqand trip - 3-14 May 2024 - and want to give a review because it was a perfect experience. What made my experience perfect? Comfortable flight, beautiful hotels in perfect locations, the planning that our guide Shukhrat put into making sure the whole group (19 in total) felt looked after safely and with great good humour. The weather was mixed so Shukhrat made some changes to our itinerary to make sure we would get the best out of each of the places we visited. We experienced ancient cities, mosques, madrassas, minarets and mausoleums, brought to life by information and stories about all the places we visited. This brought everything into vivid life as we walked the streets, explored bazaars and workshops and met local people who made us feel so welcome. The local guides in Khiva and Bukhara and the coach drivers could not have done more for us. We experienced the Kyzylkum desert, stopping to view the Amu Darya (Oxus) and lunch in a yurt, the snow capped Zarafshan mountains, local cuisine, markets and met local craftsmen and women. The whole trip was a revelation and I thank Shukhrat from the bottom of my heart for all that he did.
We have used VJV before had had a wonderful time so have booked the Nile cruise including Aswan. We've not travelled yet, but I just wanted to praise the exceptional service we have received from Tara who went above and beyond in sorting out some specific requests when her colleagues had told me it was impossible previously. She is a credit to VJV.
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Jules Verne offers expertly curated small-group tours and independent journeys to some of the world's most captivating destinations. With over 45 years of experience, we create immersive travel experiences that blend discovery, comfort, and convenience. Each itinerary is carefully curated, providing unique insights and unforgettable adventures, guided by experts who will enrich your journey every step of the way.
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