written by PeterWembley on 07/11/2014
My wife and I recently completed a 14 day self drive, self guided tour of Iceland organised by the New Experience team. It was AMAZING. Every element from our first email contact was professional, informative with everything delivered on the holiday exactly as promised. Even a personal note from the Managing Director the week we were leaving as there was a volcano threat for the time we were going to be in Iceland! I cannot recommend this company highly enough and we are already planning our next walking holiday with them. If walking is your idea of a holiday, this team are the best I have dealt with by the length of the straight
written by SHERBORNES on 05/07/2014
In summary everything went smoothly, there is almost nothing to report. The travel documents and timings went perfectly. The hotel (Belvedere in Scuol) was superb. The area and transport was superb for all grades of walking and site seeing. I could even give them credit for the weather!! The only slight criticism we would make is that the booklet of walks was not up to date. But we used them as a guide to the routes and we did well. Will almost certainly use them again. Several extra nice touches include: 2SF coin for trolleys, and advice on what side of a train to sit for the best view.
written by margaretaliceanddickhenry on 13/06/2014
Just got back from a lovely trek around the Picos de Europa. Everything went very smoothly as the details in our instructions were clear and precise and the partner company S-cape were outstanding. Everywhere taxi and bus transport were punctual, pick ups were flexible and the family run hotels and food were great. The walking was well organised. When the weather was superb we were able to do the more challenging days but there were plenty of lower level/shorter walks for the not so good weather. Looking forward to taking another holiday with this company.
written by LandG on 09/06/2014
This was our first venture into an activity holiday that we had not planned from start to finish ourselves. From initial e-mail contact, New Experience kept us informed on progress. We were able to add an extra few nights at the end of the holiday without any problems. We did not want the usual of trips to Capri or Pompeii which are included by some companies; we wanted fairly strong walking including into the inland hills with no worries over routes, luggage or accommodation. This was accomplished from the first to last pick-up so that we had good experiences of a country and travel company that were each new to us. Along with maps and clear route descriptions, the team even sent helpful advice about ordering those essential coffees and meals. We have already made recommendations to other friends and would have no qualms in using New Experience holidays again.
written by BNB3 on 30/05/2014
Very belatedly (a group of 6 friends early May 2014)I wanted to say how much I enjoyed my recent guided walking holiday in Morocco arranged through New Experience Holidays. The office was always helpful and I found the arrangements to be excellent, from our meeting and transfer on arrival at Marrakesh airport to the final transfer at the end; the hotels were all excellent (Clefs Du Sud Riad in the Medina, Village de Toubkal only reachable on foot in Imlil and Chez Momo with a fabulous garden and pool in Ouirgane, and the staff could not have been more helpful in Imlil and Ouirgane; the walks, while sometimes tougher than I had anticipated, were all fascinating and our guides had the good judgement and foresight to adapt them to our general walking abilities. I would like to flag up Ibrahim Jellal, the guide we had for the Imlil section of the walking; quite simply, he was excellent and so thoughtful and caring without making it obvious that he was always aware of how we were keeping up with him and coping with the terrain under foot. And he was informative about anything related to Morocco and Berber life that we thought to ask. The pre-travel information was also useful as were the notes on each destination. Having been on 8 self-guided tours with another company I luxuriated in being guided - essential on this trip as waymarking is non-existant - enabling us to arrive in good time at our hotel to relax and enjoy the facilities as well as happy in the knowledge that we would not get lost. London SE5
written by Pongosey on 21/05/2014
Dominica,(not to be confused with the Dominican Republic)is a small and stunning volcanic island in the Caribbean and it was here we enjoyed our second walking holiday organised by New Experience. Once again, the accommodation was fabulous as was the walking. The organisation of the holdiay was excellent and information received comprehensive, as before. Our first holiday with New Experience was to Santo Antao, Cape Verde (review below). I would thoroughly recommend this holiday company.
written by rogerpayn on 24/02/2014
We have been on ten self guided holidays but this was our first one with New Experience. We have now booked two more holidays with New Experience and I think that says every thing about the company. We loved the holiday, everything was as we expected. To start with compared to other companies it was great value. The walking was moderate to easy, the hotels were small and very good, food was excellent. We were in an area where we have never been before and the whole area was uncommercialised and excellent for walking. We will be returning to trhe area in the near future.
written by mitie on 14/01/2014
What a way to end the new year and start another with walks in El Heirro. Fantastic views and walks with wonderful company and excellent guide. The hotel was spotless and the staff were wonderful could not do enough for you and on New Years Eve gala night the staff worked so hard to accommodate everyone's needs. All the travel arrangements went like clockwork especially as we had two flights, one taxi and a hired car. We were met at the hotel by the guide who talked us through the walks and showed us around the hotel. This was most welcoming when you arrive tired after your journey and are in a new country not knowing the area. This is the third time we have travelled with New Experience holidays and every year we think they cannot get any better but they never fail to amaze us. thank you see you again soon
written by patrick70 on 27/07/2013
Our group of 17 people from the Glens of Antrim Rambling Club spent two weeks at the Hotel Alpenblick in Bad Gastein. The hotel is very comfortable with a good range of spa facilities including a sauna, steam room and thermal bath. There is a beautifully kept garden with a small heated outdoor pool and the opportunity to try various therapies. The owners of the hotel, Elizabeth and her daughter Claudia are exceptionally hospitable and helpful and can offer advice on local transport and anything to do with walking in the area. The hotel staff were very pleasant and attentive and the food was excellent. The local supermarket is some distance from the hotel and guests may either order packed lunches or else make up their own at the breakfast table for a very reasonable charge. There is a variety of walks in the area from the fairly demanding like the walk over the old Roman road to Carinthia with a train journey back through a tunnel bored through the mountain and the ridge walk from Stubnerkogel to Sportgastein to reasonably flat walks along the valley floor and the circular nature walk at Sportgastein. Our party stayed for two weeks and we extended the range of walking by travelling south to Mallnitz by train. It is fair to say that everyone in our group would thoroughly recommend this holiday organised by New Experience.
written by on 30/05/2013
Before we set out on our first day of our Maestrazgo trek, we wondered if route finding would be difficult as our trek wound its way from village to village in a remote sparsely populated part of Spain. We'd chosen the region for a spring/ early summer holiday as the hills/ mountains were between 1000 -2000 metres so unlikely to be troubled by melting snow. We found on the first day and subsequent days that the waymarks were excellent and route finding was not a problem. This gave us time to enjoy the hills/mountains and the steep sided valleys or gorges as well as the flowers and trees. Our most stunning memory was looking down from the rim of the Pitarque gorge and seeing the source of the river we had reached two hours previously.Each village reached at the end of the day was different. Some were perched on a hill or on a flat piece of land protected from invaders by barancos on three sides. One village still had most of its walls and old gateways. An evening stroll to see the sights created in past ages contributed to our pleasure; we were well informed by the local representative. Our accommodation ranged from a luxurious villa in a hamlet of nine people (Mario's delicious food will be long remembered,) a traditional Spanish village house and village hotels, the smallest of which had three rooms as part of a new build sponsored by the region's administration. We enjoyed each day, no two days were similar. Beautiful scenery, very few other walkers, good Spanish wine.
written by RosieandFrank on 29/05/2013
From start to finish New Experience organised the holiday to perfection. Our special request of 3 days in Malta to sightsee was not an issue; they found us an ideal central location and arranged everything. Gozo was then the perfect antidote, relaxed, great hotel, stunning setting and wonderful walks. Our guides were knowledgeable and added so much to the experience. We opted for a personal guide which made it even more special. We also managed self guided walks which were easy and fun, its a holiday with a relaxed pace not perhaps one for those wishing to have a massive adventure. However, if walking is not enough there are dive school everywhere, horse trekking and more, so despite tiny you can never be bored on Gozo. Think about your time of year, May was hot and think summer far too hot to walk as shade minimal. Would highly recommend and will book with again.
written by on 27/05/2013
I have just returned from a one week walking holiday, organized by New Experience Holidays, trekking part of the Lycian Way Turkey (West), stunning scenery,interesting at times rural accommodation but always clean and welcoming. Some of the less seasoned walkers in the party found the walking quite challenging due to the assents and descents and at times tricky paths. We undertook this walk in mid May, starting out in a pleasant temperature of 25 degrees but reaching a scorching 36 degrees by the last two days, with the temperatures so high we bunked off the last 24 kilometer walk and opted for a days boat trip from Kalkan, this was very relaxing and a well deserved rest. New experience holidays had all aspects of our trip well organized including the written walking instructions, although we did get lost a couple of times, probable due to chatting too much, but this is all part of the trekking experience.The Turkish people are very hospitable, helpful and friendly,English was spoken at all four of our nights accommodation, but for me the highlight of the trip were the farming family's on route who for a few lira will make you a cup of tea and let you rest awhile out of the heat. If you really want to get a feel for the real rural Turkey which by our monetary standards is still very poor, yet rich in history and and beauty, then this is for you. The only thing that as an animal lover I found uncomfortable were the stray dogs in Patara, lovely friendly flee bitten creatures who have the ability to spot a soft tourist from a mile away.Be warned they will follow you every where and give you such sad eyes that you end up paying a restaurant owner to feed them a)to salve your conscience and b)so that you can make your escape. I would highly recommend New Experience walking holidays they offer good value for money, they had every aspect of our trip well organized and provided us with interesting clean friendly accommodation serving tasty locally produced Turkish cuisine. I would without hesitation use this company again.
written by Bristolwalker on 27/05/2013
We have just returned from a multi-centre holiday in the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. We have been on many New Experience holidays and as usual the staff there provided a friendly and personal service. We were met at the airport and transferred to our first hotel (Dar Anika in Marrakesh - excellent hotel with fabulous breakfasts). Our first walking base was in the Ourika Valley where we met out first guide Hussain. He was excellent and told us much interesting information that we would not have known had we been walking by ourselves. A guide is essential since none of the paths are marked! Onto Imlil and our second guide (also excellent). The walking was varied and not too strenuous, although the guides will tailor the routes to suit your ability/inclination. All the hotels were characterful with friendly staff - this is normal on a New Experience holiday. We finished up with 3 days on the beach at Essaouira, the Villa Quieta is highly recommended, it used to be a palace and the public rooms are amazing. Once again an excellent holiday and we can't wait to book the next one.
written by georgego on 20/04/2013
Last year four of us trekked up to Annapurna Basecamp, a great experience, but this year we wanted to spend more time in the foothills area. Starting with a night in Kathmandu is great, but Pokhara is a fabulous place to spend a relaxing time surrounded by great views. Walk starts 1 hr drive from there. Trekking is hard but ok, especially in shorts and T shirt. Lots of tea stops. Lodges are basic but food choice is good and sleeping ok. Most now have western toilets which make it easier. Hot showers everywhere. Great days walking, you are close to the massive mountains. If you want to add anything to your itinerary I would suggest extra days at the end in Pokhara for sightseeing,good food and relaxing in the sun. Also , make sure you fly between Kathmandu and Pokhara, the roadtrip is challenging.
written by Pongosey on 02/04/2013
Originally, my partner was searching for the perfect location for a "blobby" holiday for us in a warm/hot climate but without the jetlag. He said "what about Cape Verde?" so I got into research mode and that's when I happened upon New Experience and discovered the amazing walking opportunities on the beautiful island of Santo Antao. We are walkers anyway and I thought this holiday sounded far more exciting, adventurous and the island more beautiful and unspoilt than lying on a beach for a week in Sal. I wasn't wrong! New Experience are a family-run holiday company and everyone I spoke to was friendly and approachable. They were interested and always happy to help with any query. We arrived in Sao Vincente with all the information we could need to assist us on our holiday and the daily arrangements for meeting our guide and drivers etc. were excellent. This was quite complicated being a hotel-to-hotel trek but I can't think of anything that was overlooked. We had chosen the guided option and do not regret it. Our guide was a lovely young local man, proud of and unbelievably knowledgeable about his island - and also European football! His English was good and he enhanced our experience of Santo Antao considerably. Being able to talk the local language he could act as our interpreter too. He also made us feel very safe - we knew we could not get lost and you're often a LONG way from any kind of road! Our only hiccup was on entry into Cape Verde at the airport. Immigration claimed not to have documentation to say our visas had been prepaid, so we had to pay again. On arrival at our first lodgings we called the local rep who was with us in 5 mins and when we returned to that hotel before our flight home, the cash refund was waiting for us. Very good service. The accommodation was good. (You are not there for hotel luxury). All hotels/pensions were really clean, the rooms generally spacious and bright and most had spectacular views. Two had balconies. Food provided was predominantly good though we felt a couple of places could have tried a bit harder. The walks for us were perfect (59 & 60 yrs) - challenging and rewarding, but manageable. All beautiful. The list of things to bring that New Experience provided was really useful. It included "Buffs". I had never before heard of a "Buff", but bought a couple of thin ones and they saved our ears and sunburnt hands! In addition on the list were long sleeved shirts and floppy hats which also saved us from being frazzled. You are walking most of the day, it is hot and there is rarely shade. Included with our information packs were hiking maps of the two islands we visited. I believe they are not that easy to get hold of so this was a real bonus and they were much used and enjoyed. I would recommend New Experience Holidays and would have no hesitation in using them again for any future walking holidays.
written by dar7imlil on 03/12/2012
We went on a walking holiday in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco in November 2012. From the moment we first contacted New Experience everything was a pleasure. All the arrangements were flawless. The hotels were interesting, in keeping with local decor and culture, and warm and welcoming. The walks were glorious ( we were fortunate with the weather), contouring up valleys, across cols, and between beautifully located Berber villages (and a Marabout shrine). All the trails had wonderful views along their entire length. Our guide, Mohamed Jellah, was friendly and full of local lore and history,and had contacts along the way. His kindness and his local knowledge enriched our hiking immensely.
written by on 27/11/2012
We have just returned from our eighth New Experience walking holiday and they have all been excellent. The New Experience team always answer enquiries promptly, and give a personal and friendly service. The accommodation is always carefully chosen to be both characterful and friendly, and the walking booklets are always accurate and make finding your way easy. The New Experience brochure states that they provide the sort of holidays they like to take themselves, and in our opinion they certainly supply the holidays that we like to take! We have just returned from Nepal and cannot wait to book our next holiday
written by KenaP on 01/07/2012
Fast response, good prices, very helpful with queries. Kept updated with the travel arrangements which were booked over a holiday period only 2 weeks before departure. Itinerary and paperwork clear and concise with options provided.
written by Wigginton on 15/06/2012
New Experience offer a pleasant mixture of walks which gives lots of variety and many chances to view the landscapes of Madeira. Mountains,Levada walks, flora and fauna,local people, and beautiful weather. The accommodation was good, six different hotels, some run by a family,the food was nice and a good variety. All hotels had friendly staff and high standards. The taxi drivers were helpful with baggage and all spoke some english and were friendly too. We are looking forward to another good week in Morocco in September, and a week in Macedonia in October.
written by GeoffUrch on 07/06/2012
In common with many travellers, we have visited Greece many times over the years, always taking in a new destination. Some friends of ours who also have a love of Greece suggested that we try the Peloponnese. I browsed the internet and came across 'New Experience Holidays'. Their website was excellent and I began to explore the possibiltity of trekking in the 'Outer Mani' area with them. I found their staff to be very patient and helpful in response to my initial enquiries, whether by email or by telephone. Eventually we decided on a two week break - the first week doing a 'self guided trek' and the second week enjoying a more leisurely time in Kardamili. Prior to leaving the UK, we received all the relevant information, ie: maps, walking routes etc. We were collected at the airport by 'Nikos' who was to be our taxis driver for the week, taking us to the start of walks or collecting us at the end of a walk - he was brilliant, very flexible, knowledgeable and likeable. This was also the case with 'Denia', our local guide in Kardamili. It is not my intention to describe each walk in detail - have a look on the New Experience website where you can view the itinerary for your self! Suffice to say, each walk is different and by the end of the week you do feel that you have sampled enough of the landscapes that make the 'Outer Mani' such a wonderful place to explore. Our accommodation during our stay was excellent - each hotel a little different - most had light cooking facilities in the room, so if your B&B, the option is to make a light evening meal or take in a local taverna - very flexible and ideal if you don't want to be tied to meal times. The walking guides provided by New Experience detailing each walk, are well written and easy to follow but do bear in mind that your own walking pace may mean that you arrive at a point, sooner or later than the time specified. Also, a dirt tract may have been recently asphalted. However, generally speaking it is hard to get lost if you follow the routes closely. There are also many references to worthwhile stopping off points, like churches to view wall paintings and frescoes. One more relevant point to mention - we met a couple in Kardamili who had also travelled with New Experience the previous year. Their airport departure had been cancelled due to the volcanic ash emission from Iceland. A call to New Experience resulted in them being re-routed from Manchester to Newcastle airport and subsequently their holiday was saved with very little time having been lost. So there you are - two recommendations in one review! Geoff & Carole Urch.
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As rated by our community of reviewers
Marieaarose's Response to margaretaliceanddickhenry's Review
Written on: 01/01/2015
Not our experience. The driver was an hour late for our initial pick up and we were unable to contact the agent. One of the hotels had not been booked and we were placed in inferior accommodation . Some of the trip notes were out of date