I can only agree with the comments from the other low starred reviewers. we had a problem on holiday re a strong, unidentified chemical smell in the annexe bedroom building of the villa. we spoke to the rep at length and as the source of the smell remained unclear, we would not use the room. we were not willing to take any health risks, espec as my daughter suffers from eczema and has anaphalaxysis, so highly sensitive. A report was written to the boss by the rep regarding the situation. on our return we were not contacted for feedback, just received am automated holiday questionnaire. then we initiated e mail correspondence with Simpsons who were dismissive and disinterested in our opinion or point of view on the issue . having read the report there are areas of it we disagree with entirely. we felt we were not given any interest or credence. would never use again. very insulted to be offered a hamper when we requested a portion of the accommodation price back to cover the cost of a bedroom that was unusable in our opinion.

I would like to thank Simpsons Travel for both a very good holiday and also for helping out so much with my lost luggage (laptop). The villa and the holiday rep were of the highest standard and everything ran like clockwork. On travelling back I managed to leave my laptop on the boat and Simpson's dealt with everything and it was returned within 1 week. The communicated through and called me daily with an update. This service was more than expected and as such I would use Simpson's travel again.

We have travelled for many years with a superb travel company who this year gave up their portfolio. I spent a long time trawling the internet to look for a match to the superb service that for over six years we had received from them. We are not rich, but we save hard for quality holidays. I chose Simpson Travel based on their great website, and being a Watford girl a feeling of camaraderie to the MD's blog. After lengthy e-mails, we agreed on a 2 week 2 location holiday to Turkey. One week at the Golden Key on the Bozburun peninsula and one week at the Dalyan River Suites. I had made it clear that cleanliness was key over anything. The reception at the airport was superb and the car hire was fantastic. Sadly that was the highlight. The Golden Key accommodation was filthy and poor to say the least. I have reviewed this on Trip Advisor, what I believe was a balanced review. The Dalyan was also far below expectations, however the saving grace was the owners desire to please and to try and make your holiday special. Again the review is on Trip Advisor. I am not here to review the property, only to review the agent. Working in education I spend much time teaching young people about the investment in good customer service. Sadly Simpsons seem to have a strange idea of how to cope and help customers whose holidays have not gone well. Inevitably every travel agent will have dissatisfied customers. Having e-mailed Simpsons whilst on holiday regarding the issues we had faced and having informed the area rep that we wished to complain to the UK, we received nothing from Simpsons other than an e-mail saying our comments had been forwarded and someone would be in contact. On our return and with no response we contacted them again, and still nothing. Indeed it was only when I posted a review on Tripadvisor that they responded,not to me but on Tripadvisor! We were absolutely astounded. I was then promised a response after I sent a shirty e-mail threatening to publish my photos. This was from the MD who in fairnes to him seemed genuine, but informed me his son would respond (in charge of the Turkey portfolio). Sadly the son was in Turkey supposedly following up my complaint, which took about 3 weeks! When he did respond, his suggestion was that we had not been truthful and that we could never agree on what had happened! Apparently our evidence and endless photos were not enough! Indeed I may as well have had a signed confession from the hotel, it would have made no difference. I guess they have so many satisfied customers that they do not need to listen to those who are upset. I might add, to give you some perspective of how bad this holiday was, that on our "private transfer" back to the airport, our driver took us on a little trip to pick up a mate, who proceeded to sit next to our daughter and look down her top. Simpsons told us there was no evidence to support this allegation!! Really?!!! Apart from four of us in the taxi and a taxi driver who does not want to tell the truth! Was I supposed to film this? Beyond shocking! So I guess my point is this....... All the great reviews are fine, but to me what makes a company is how they respond when things go wrong. We all hope our holidays will go well. Sadly, if it goes wrong, then with Simpsons........please expect nothing. Actually after a lot of threats they gave us £400 back off a £4500 holiday (originally £250), but I didn't want their money. I wanted an apology and for them to show us how they can get it right, I wanted them to show us how they really do it. Not free, but with a small discount for the bad experience. Simpsons are not interested in righting wrongs and sadly that attitude eventually will catch up with them. We will never travel nor recommend them and they need to address their customer service! Either way shame on you Simpsons.

We have travelled twice now with Simpsons travel and have found them fantastic on both accounts. The staff are incredibly helpful and the properties stunning! Would highly recommend!

Once again, Simpsons Travel have proved to be a highly reliable, friendly and super efficient travel company, with the personal touch. They really know how to provide a professional service, and genuinely seem to care about the customer; a factor that is missing so much these days from many businesses. All the planning stages of the holiday were organised by Simpsons in an efficient and informative manner. The sales consultants know their properties inside out, and were able to advise us very well on the villa facilities and the area's 'must-see' sights. We were travelling with a young baby for the first time, so were grateful of the reassurance and peace of mind this gave us. Once in resort, our holiday was fantastic as the accommodation was just as on the website and described by the staff, the welcome pack was excellent and the representative visited us at the villa the very next day with a range of useful maps and insider information. Every step of the holiday was faultless; once we arrived home after excellent flights, we were sent an email asking how our holiday was, etc... We've already reserved the same property for next year and this time will be taking my parents, who already have been impressed by the very helpful Simpsons Travel sales consultant. We used Simpsons Travel last year for our honeymoon, too, which was also superb - we simply cannot recommend them highly enough; you can literally sit back and relax both in the run-up to the holiday, and once you are actually there, as any eventuality will be dealt with quickly and with minimal fuss.

In September 2013 my wife and I went on holiday to a villa called “Gizli Ev” in Akyaka, Turkey, arranged by Simpson Travel. The photos of the mountain villa looked fantastic on their website (easily found online) as did the flattering testimonials (shrewdly selected, as we later discovered) and we paid around £1850 for the one week holiday. Unfortunately, we arrived at the villa to discover that the private pool and surrounding area were constantly covered by at least a hundred buzzing wasps and 1” long hornets. Swimming was impossible and sunbathing around the pool was a very unpleasant experience. We brought the matter up with our rep on the first morning, who although sympathetic, suggested that they were not aggressive. Unfortunately, half an hour after she left, my wife was stung on the face while reading a book by the pool. She was clearly distressed by the incident, and it left us no option but to spend our day at the local beach – enduring the ludicrous situation of paying for beach facilities instead of using those that we’d already paid for at the villa. As if this wasn’t bad enough, on the third evening we discovered a scorpion about 3 feet from us whilst we were having a drink on the porch. We were then were alarmed to discover not one, but two further scorpions in the bedroom. Clearly, this was not the “relaxing” or “stress free” holiday that we’d been lead to believe. We were unable to use the pool or pool area facilities because of the constant swarms of wasps, and now we were unable to relax in our own bedroom for fear of stepping on a scorpion in the dark. This left us with no real option but to vacate the villa and check into a nearby hotel. We were contacted by our rep, who was very understanding and disappointed for us. She told us that she’d spoken to “Matthew Simpson” about the issue and that she was sure he’d be contacting us upon our return. We told her that we weren’t the type of people who wanted to make a fuss – despite spending an additional £600 on accommodation, etc - but we’d look forward to Matthew Simpson’s comments upon our return. However, whilst queuing in Dalaman Airport for the homeward journey, we randomly struck up a conversation with another couple who’d stayed at another villa in Turkey. When we told them the name of the villa we’d stayed in, they immediately said “Did you have the problems with the wasps?”. It transpired that they had stayed in the villa a couple of years earlier and encountered exactly the same problems (they claimed that they’d subsequently made a formal complaint to Simpson Travel and were financially reimbursed). They also told us that they’d met another couple on this holiday who had previously stayed at Gizli Ev with exactly the same issue, and who again made a complaint. This was, to say the least, extremely troubling to my wife and I. The wasp issue was clearly not a new one, and it would appear that Simpson Travel had received a number of similar complaints about the villa. However, despite this, no mention of it was made on their website, not once was it mentioned to us by any of their staff, and nor did we see a warning in any of the literature that they sent us. My wife was stung on the face on the first morning and we dread to think what would have happened had my wife been allergic to wasp stings – as many people are. The route to town was on unlit and unmade dirt tracks and there was no hospital in Akyaka - we were told that there was a doctor in one of the hotels, but not which one. Upon our return, we naturally expected a communication from Simpson Travel, as we’d been assured. After a few days of silence, we received a jolly email asking us to complete one of their questionnaires – which I found very irritating. I decided to write to Simpson Travel myself, and make a formal complaint. The villa that they ‘sold’ us was clearly unfit for purpose - which they presumably knew about - and they hadn’t even bothered to contact us afterward to apologise. My first two emails to Simpson Travel didn’t appear to do anything, although a third email did prompt a telephone call from them. He was full of apology for not contacting us upon our return – blaming something about one of his staff getting married? Anyway, he promised to look into it fully and to get back to me with an explanation within “a week or 10 days at the most”. We didn’t hear another word until about 2 weeks later, when received an envelope in the post from Simpson Travel containing a cheque for £200 and a plain compliment slip. No attached letter of apology. No accompanying personal phone call with an explanation. Just a blunt cheque. My wife was furious and felt completely insulted that nobody from Simpson Travel could even be bothered to write a letter or make a call. I felt that for a family company that supposedly priding itself on providing a personal service, they would not see how utterly disrespectful and unprofessional it was to handle a complaint by simply throwing a cheque at somebody? I’d only actually asked for an explanation - if I’d have asked for a refund I would’ve asked for a darn sight more than £200 for a ruined holiday that ended up costing us about £2500. I decided that to bank the cheque (which I considered blood money) would simply vindicate the cold and uncaring way in which they handled our complaint. So I returned the cheque – along with their compliment slip and even their envelope – along with a letter from me relaying how disgusted I was with the way they promoted the holiday and handled our subsequent complaint (and at the time of writing, 2 weeks later, they’ve clearly decided to leave it at that). I’m writing this review, with a clear conscience, to let other potential customers of Simpson Travel or Gizli Ev know about our experiences and the potential hazard of the travel company and the villa. In my opinion, Simpson Travel has been derelict in its Care of Duty for not warning its customers of the recurring wasp problem at the villa. Not once was it mentioned to us. If one of their customers – including my wife - suffered from Anaphylactic Shock from wasp stings, then the consequences would be unthinkable and I’m astounded that they seem oblivious to it? In this respect, I feel an obligation to make this information public and so I write this review. My wife and I travel a lot, but on this occasion my choice of travel company and villa was well below the quality that we are accustomed to. All of what I’ve said above can be supported by emails to Simpson Travel, along with photos and videos of the issues raised. Rob Montalto October 2013

You can be assured that when you have a Simpson holiday you will get exactly what is promised. They have a high standard and deliver it. We wanted an attractive, peaceful and beautiful place to spend two weeks and found it at Joanna's House in Paxos. The views were breathtaking and we spent many evenings enjoying a barbeque on the patio as the sun set. The infinity pool was a good size for swimming and the garden had a number of different places to sit either in the sun or the shade. It was quiet. The roads were not busy so driving around the island was easy. The harbour villages of Gaois, Lakka and Loggos each had their own character and we enjoyed eating and shopping in all of them. Probably because we went in October when the holiday season was coming to an end the shopkeepers had time to stop and talk and we were made to feel welcome and to learn something of their way of life. It was good to know that there were representatives on the island to help if needed. The three reps were all very good as was the maid service for the villa and pool cleaner. Very important for my husband was a good WiFi connection. This we had. Our journeys between the UK and Paxos ran smoothly with flights, hydrofoil, taxi's and car hire all arranged and running smoothly. We felt well catered for so thank you very much to all at Simpsons.

We have traveled many times with Simpson Travel and have never been disappointed. Everyone from the booking staff, airport transport/hire car people and reps on site have been very professional and personable. The villas have all been lovely with great welcome packs and good information, although a local map would have been helpful. I always struggle with lighting in the kitchen, never very good, just the Greek way, I guess! Cleanliness is always perfect. Thank you all for another great holiday, looking forward to 2014.

From the moment we arrived we were in another world. The timeless room and balcony have been furnished in a traditional Greek style that befits the mood of the holiday. We hardly left the terrace only to eat and fish nearby. The town is a 10 minute walk away and when we had our fill it was a pleasure to return to the sanctuary of the terrace area. We watched dozens of boats and yachts moor up and missed several celebs in town due to our early bedtime,sad i know. A fantastic place and out of the dozens of package holidays we have done this was the best. The rep was like my mum and most detailed and helpful as my wife had food allergies making restaurant choices difficult. Greta was also very good at the airport. All in all excellent service Simpson.

After long deliberations about where to spend our 2013 hols we decided on Kefalonia. Partly for its history and partly for its climate. We then had to decide on travel companies and found that our criteria for a great holiday were independance(within reason), good food, close to bars and restaurants and beaches, but also peaceful; washing machine!!! We dont hire cars on holiday as my husband drives a lot for his job so didnt want this included in the package and therefore needed to be walking distance to all amenities. Simpsons holidays came up time after time on internet searches and after discussions with helpful and informed sales staff over the telephone and email we came up trumps. The holiday was more expensive than we usually budget for so our 30th wedding anniversary was a good excuse and it was worth every penny!!! I shall start saving now for next year!!! Thea cottage is a perfect Greek cottage, with a beautiful bedroom and comfortable small sitting room. I must mention the bed linen which is fantastic and I am trying to source some for home!!! The kitchen is large and has all the essentials if you wish to bake or cook and the bathroom is spacious and houses the washing machine. The terrace to the front of the cottage has the most stunning views over the bay and is wonderfully shady for most of the day, if you want to catch the rays there is a small area at the back of the cottage which I found too hot but my husband loved. A small road runs in front of Thea cottage and a stroll down some steps leads you to a small rocky bathing area which is great for an early morning or late evening dip, floating in front of one of the many super yachts that anchor in the bay. Simpsons local rep was brilliant and has a wealth of local knowledge re the history of Fiskardo and the local characters. She also left us a super welcome basket of all the essentials that you need on a self catering holiday. She cleaned twice a week and Adonis, lovely helpful chap, the cottage owner lives next door so is at hand if you need anything. The beaches are pebbly or rocky so a 'must have' are 'jelly, or 'swim' shoes which can be bought locally for approx. 6-8euros and beach mats which are also inexpensive. Foki beach is about a 10 min walk from Thea cottage or Emplisy beach is about 35min walk. We managed 2 walks but there are many more and if you holiday when it is a little cooler you will be spoilt for choice. The bars and restauraunts in Fiskardo are a short 10-15min stroll away and would suit all budgets and are all very reasonable. The staff are friendly and helpful, our personal favourite was 'Tassia' but only by a small margin as all of the restaurants were great. We understand that Tassia is a Greek celebrity chef and she is on hand to take all of the orders. My favourite things: Apart from the rep!! Thea cottage and its privacy but also its people/super yacht watching location. The cats - which are everywhere but are soon shooed away if you are not a fan. Hubbys favourtie things: Binoculars!!! Part of the inventory at Thea cottage and the Greek people who are so friendly and helpful. If there has to be a downside or and improvement that may be made:- it would be nice to have bicycles at the cottage to use or be able to hire them locally. Not to cycle far - the roads are hilly but so lovely and quiet.