Name: smarTours
Address: 500 7TH AVE, 8TH FL, NEW YORK, New York
Rating: 4.42

“Tour director extended some of tours and we had very long days She is short walked fast and used her fold-up umbrella for us to follow Unfortunately she would take a turn and disappear in the crowd and the small umbrella was not visible There was too long between bathroom stops to and from Suzdal it was over five hrs to get there and she did not know buildings where our assigned rooms We had a map that was unclear and finally found an employee driving a golf cart around who showed us which of the seven buildings we were booked We had to take our checked luggage up the stairs in our bldg and one of the other tour travelers insisted on helping us up the stairs with the luggage Suzdal was very unique but not unique enough to take over ten hours round trip to ride. In Moscow tour director left meeting place with an inaccurate count and two women were left behind She didn't have anyone's cell numbers to call and we didn't have the listen of the other passenger's name The group finally realized which two women were not on the bus. She sent the local guide back to meeting place to find them. Neither the guide or traveler's knew what each other looked like”

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Posted 5 years ago

“The cities of eastern Europe were excellent choices although being so near, it would have been great to see Bratislava as well. Sadly, our hotel was much too far from the center of Vienna to allow for serious sight-seeing there. Great waste of precious time trying to get around. Some people could not walk anywhere at all, and a group of 15 joined us after the trip was well under way expecting Spanish to be spoken and complaining about the food before most of them left on their own. Very disturbing. Meals and lodging were superb, the guides cheerful and informative. I'm pleased I went.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Guide was excellent Size of group was good Hotels locations were too far from center”

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Posted 5 years ago

“I would expected more compare to other travel tour experiences.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“This would be higher but we had 2 transportation problems. The first was the train to Xain where I sat alone 2 cars away from the group and my family. The second was at the end of tour the flight connections from Hong Kong through Shanghai to New York was a disaster. After repeatedly asking both the tour director and the local tour guide about connection time in Shanghai and being told it wouldn’t be an issue (schedule indicated less than an hour) and the gate was “directly across” from where we were arriving we actually had to go through security again and we nearly missed our flight.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Greece is similar to Mexico, economy wise. Lots of ancient history and nice scenery. Hotels were probably on average 2 stars rating. Santorini tour should have been included, not extra.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“The air itinerary going to Croatia was terrible, multiple stops. I will never let Smartours schedule my air travel again. Tour was very good, great bus and driver. Tour guide was knowledgeable but was not very nice to many of us. Hotels were good as was itinerary. Small group was very good. I don't like dealing with your staff in New York. They don't follow up when you ask them questions--”

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Posted 5 years ago

“I just returned from France on the tour Unforgettable France. The tour started out on a sour note in that we were bumped from our flight after waiting to check in for over forty five minutes. We then were booked on a BOAC flight to London with a 50 minute layover to Paris. We barely made the second flight after running thru the airport to be the last two on the plane before the doors closed. This could have been avoided since your office was advised at 11: AM of the cancellation. In addition the same problem arose on the flight home. You have our E-Mail address and our telephone number. Why were we not made aware of the cancellation? I also had a problem with the schedule. We left Paris after two nights only to return for one night. If we had extended our stay in Paris we could have avoided returning to Paris and could have traveled to the next city without having to take the train the following morning. You should rethink the meals for dinner. Rabbit is a poor choice for American visitors, and you may want to speak to the hotels regarding the breakfast menu. It should not be too difficult to have hot scrambled eggs in the morning. Agnes as a tour guide was super and the choice of bus companies and drivers that moved us from town to town were professional courteous and always on time.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“3 stars I just returned from the tour which started out on May 8. Some hotels were wonderfully located, some not. Our group of 30 found that the whispers which were supposed to help us hear the tour director or local guides did not work well unless you were within 10 feet of the person and our last tour was done without them and was much more enjoyable. Sadly we had little time to enjoy what we were seeing on the guided tours as it was a fast sprint from Point "A" to Point "B". A leisurely stroll with less time in churches would have been nicer or cutting out some of the sites to see so that as a group we could appreciate what we were seeing and marvel in the beauty. Plus a few people on these tours got lost as they were not a power walker like Renata was and in certain places there were huge crowds. Finnair's food leave much to be desired. I knew it must be bad when they were handing out the dinner trays and said to look at the other options which were for sale which a few people took advantage of. There was so little time in Helsinki. I would have liked another full day there to explore. I just returned from the tour which started out on May 8. Some hotels were wonderfully located, some not. Our group of 30 found that the whispers which were supposed to help us hear the tour director or local guides did not work well unless you were within 10 feet of the person and our last tour was done without them and was much more enjoyable. Sadly we had little time to enjoy what we were seeing on the guided tours as it was a fast sprint from Point "A" to Point "B". A leisurely stroll with less time in churches would have been nicer or cutting out some of the sites to see so that as a group we could appreciate what we were seeing and marvel in the beauty. Plus a few people on these tours got lost as they were not a power walker like Renata was and in certain places there were huge crowds. Finnair's food leave much to be desired. I knew it must be bad when they were handing out the dinner trays and said to look at the other options which were for sale which a few people took advantage of. There was so little time in Helsinki. I would have liked another full day there to explore.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“3 stars I just returned from the tour which started out on May 8. Some hotels were wonderfully located, some not. Our group of 30 found that the whispers which were supposed to help us hear the tour director or local guides did not work well unless you were within 10 feet of the person and our last tour was done without them and was much more enjoyable. Sadly we had little time to enjoy what we were seeing on the guided tours as it was a fast sprint from Point "A" to Point "B". A leisurely stroll with less time in churches would have been nicer or cutting out some of the sites to see so that as a group we could appreciate what we were seeing and marvel in the beauty. Plus a few people on these tours got lost as they were not a power walker like Renata was and in certain places there were huge crowds. Finnair's food leave much to be desired. I knew it must be bad when they were handing out the dinner trays and said to look at the other options which were for sale which a few people took advantage of. There was so little time in Helsinki. I would have liked another full day there to explore. I just returned from the tour which started out on May 8. Some hotels were wonderfully located, some not. Our group of 30 found that the whispers which were supposed to help us hear the tour director or local guides did not work well unless you were within 10 feet of the person and our last tour was done without them and was much more enjoyable. Sadly we had little time to enjoy what we were seeing on the guided tours as it was a fast sprint from Point "A" to Point "B". A leisurely stroll with less time in churches would have been nicer or cutting out some of the sites to see so that as a group we could appreciate what we were seeing and marvel in the beauty. Plus a few people on these tours got lost as they were not a power walker like Renata was and in certain places there were huge crowds. Finnair's food leave much to be desired. I knew it must be bad when they were handing out the dinner trays and said to look at the other options which were for sale which a few people took advantage of. There was so little time in Helsinki. I would have liked another full day there to explore.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I just returned from the tour which started out on May 8. Some hotels were wonderfully located, some not. Our group of 30 found that the whispers which were supposed to help us hear the tour director or local guides did not work well unless you were within 10 feet of the person and our last tour was done without them and was much more enjoyable. Sadly we had little time to enjoy what we were seeing on the guided tours as it was a fast sprint from Point "A" to Point "B". A leisurely stroll with less time in churches would have been nicer or cutting out some of the sites to see so that as a group we could appreciate what we were seeing and marvel in the beauty. Plus a few people on these tours got lost as they were not a power walker like Renata was and in certain places there were huge crowds. Finnair's food leave much to be desired. I knew it must be bad when they were handing out the dinner trays and said to look at the other options which were for sale which a few people took advantage of. There was so little time in Helsinki. I would have liked another full day there to explore.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Our trip to France was well organized and covered a huge amount of territory and places of interest. Our guide, Urban was knowledgeable, helpful and talented! He helped make the trip special. He especially helped make Normandy, the beaches and Cemetary come alive! Our hotels were sub par compared to any other company we had ever travelled with. The apartment stay in Rouen was pretty bad. Our first night gathering for wine was in a bare and depressing room. Dinner following was cramped and super noisy. A venue change is needed. Our trip,however, was well thought out with a rich itinerary.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“My husband and I have just returned from Japan and have a few comments to make about this trip. Our guide, Yoko was excellent and did her best to to make sure all forty guests were alright. But, it was a difficult task for her and the need for two guides was obvious. On other trips with you, city guides have been used. To make matters worse the audio devices were not adequate. The guide should be wearing a transmitter, not holding it to her mouth by hand. If you were at the back of the group you could not hear at all. Also, please make sure that everyone is well aware of how few meals are included with this trip. We spent a lot of money just on lunches and dinners. We loved Japan and Yoko was amazing. But a group of forty is way too large for all guests to feel included..”

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Posted 6 years ago

“The guide was very knowledgeable, but communication was poor. We were unsure from day to day what the schedule would be. Nothing was written. Everything was word of mouth. To add to this, there was mass confusion, lack of organization and control as to what and where we were to do at each day. I would not consider another trip by Smart tours based on this one.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Excellent guides, and drivers. Too many undisclosed surprises (NOT the tour guides fault). Far too long waits prior to travel at airports, train stations etc. No ability to choose or upgrade seats on aircraft. My wife's name is different that mine and our airline seats were not together no changes were available. Hotels were told we were two singles so room changes need to be done. On one excursion we were informed we might be required to share accommodations and bathrooms. We did not, others did. This needs to be clearly spelled out on the itinerary. It was not. On a tour of this quality halfway around the world surprises of this nature are unacceptable and I felt tricked, like a bait and switch deal. Itinerary stated we were flying to Auckland and we eventually did after a stop in Sydney for an undisclosed plane change. Again a surprise. Optional tours prices went up steeply as minimums numbers were not met. We need to be told this in advance of actually being there that our tour was below minimums and surcharges would be added. This also put more pressure on our excellent tour guide having to explain again and again all the latest costs. Hotels were well located offering good breakfast.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“The Trip itself was good and the tour Guy Ron was very impressive, and knowledgeable. But my experience booking the trip, dealing with the staff in New York, lack of professionalism was unbelievable. I wish that the staff would have been more organized and did not ruined our group trip as previously planned. I had to call the company on several occasions for my invoice which I paid for prior confirming my trip.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“The tour guide was a friendly one, but first time undertaking a Smartours group. There was no first day of booking the optional tours, thus we missed out on the waterfall and horse back riding tour optional tour. This was due to lack of planning on the tour guide. Also, there was no one page contacts list in case people in the tour wanted to share contact info., We have always had out Smartour guides provide this service and we have taken 9 or 10 Smartours trips now. The hotel in Tortoguerro was subpar. Nice locations but rooms were dark and dingy and since there were now windows you could hear conversations of your next door neighbors. The hotel in MonteVerde was a lovely place however there was no insulation around the doors on the back deck and so the winds slammed the doors all night so huge lack of any sleep. One suggestion is to have an optional 3-4 days in an all inclusive resort on the Pacific side at the end of the Costa Rica tour and utilize an experienced Smartours guide,”

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Posted 6 years ago

“We just came back from Egypt Tour. Our Guide Khaled was fabulous with so much knowledge of the history. He made sure our group was safe. over all experience was great. However the Egypt Air experience was horrible. The crew was very unhelpful. Bare minimum water was offered. Due to second security no personal water could be brought on board. we felt very dehydrated. The NY office was very incompetent. Lost my son's deposit check twice. we had to make several calls and emails exchanged to finally get things straightened out.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Did not receive the paper work on time, I had to call several time to get it send. this did not start the trip over very well.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Our SmarTours group was 10 people, which made it a pleasure. Our guides went from good (Patricia in Chile) to very good (Mariano in Argentina) to pretty bad (Natalia in Buenos Aires). Food was occasionally good (two Estancias and all hotel breakfasts) and occasionally bad (hotel in Puerto Natale) or nonexistent (early breakfast in Santiago before a flight to Punta Arenas with no food available). The excursions were all very good, especially the penguins and the sheep shearing/lunch). We were very fortunate to see glaciers in excellent weather, plus glimpses of the splendid mountains between the clouds. Our guides should certainly have known that Argentina limits the amount of local cash we could get from the ATMs. Many of us walked from bank to bank, wasting a lot of time, only to learn online, later, that cash would not be forthcoming. Advance warning would have helped a lot. Having limited cash severely cut into tips for our guides, our drivers, hotel staff, and servers in restaurants.”

smarTours 3 star review on 4th March 2019

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Customer Service	3.8 out of 5

smarTours Reviews