Oliver's Travels Reviews

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Anthony Lewis
What can I say - Le Jardin Du Chateau blew us away from start to finish! Olly is just a 5*****+++ host! He was there to meet us and show us around his stunning house and gave us lots of advice and ...Read on
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Gary Baldenian
My husband and I came here for an October half term holiday getaway. We’re expecting our first baby soon, so it was lovely to get away from it all on our last holiday abroad before he or she arrive...Read on
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Anonymous Customer
We found this a perfect property for four couples celebrating a 40th birthday - providing surroundings which amply justified ‘dressing for dinner’ at the grand 18th century table in the dining room...Read on
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Dennis Mitchell
We stayed in Villa Aliki at the beginning of June 2017 for our first family holiday for a few years. The location of the villa in easy walking distance of shops and restaurants was perfect and the ...Read on
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Robin Brock
Review Great Easton Manor Dunmow U.K. July 9 to July 12 .. 4 nights Booked through Oliver’s Travels London U.K. Great Looking property advertised in a slick A.I. website by Oliver ‘s Travels. W...Read on

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    Le Jardin Du Chateau

    What can I say - Le Jardin Du Chateau blew us away from start to finish! Olly is just a 5*****+++ host! He was there to meet us and show us around his stunning house and gave us lots of advice and tips for the local area. The house itself is just stunning; the original staircases, the Parisian style doors in the upper living room, the sleek kitchens, no expense has been spared in the interior and Olly has literally thought of everything: from beautiful Le Creuset mugs and cookware, Marshall sound system, the comfiest beds, The White Company towels, every single piece of equipment you could possibly need in both kitchens. Two kitchens! We were so spoilt - we ended up using the kitchen by the pool the most and it was perfect for our two families. We have to mention the Floris shower products (and scents) in every bathroom in the villa - we all smelt so good whilst were there and will be purchasing some when we get home!!!

    The bedrooms were just superb - The children were so excited choosing their rooms - I often find that there is an obvious master suite in airbnb villas but it wasn't the case at Le Jardin Du Chateau - each had it's own style, the upper rooms were all equal size and all had exceptional views over the countryside so it was almost impossible to choose our rooms!

    The pool was fantastic and much ... than we expected and just off the Lowrys kitchen with a comfy outdoor sofa area right beside it. It was a nice open space so not many mossies. Lots of parasols for shade around the garden. The views were spectacular! parking was perfect and we easily fit our two cars.

    We booked Le Jardin Du Chateau without knowing anything about the area and we were so pleasantly surprised. A 4 minute walk into town past the stunning castle which made it the perfect location. Duras is really quaint and has an absolutely amazing boulangerie and butcher, a few restaurants (book once you arrive!). The Monday day market is really nice and the Thursday night market is bubbling with atmosphere. Grab some moules frites, a bottle of rose and sit at the banquet tables in the square and soak in the music and atmosphere - it was brilliant. We had great fun going on the app and changing the colours of the castle!!

    Honestly Olly, you have spoilt us and Le Jardin Du Chateau is a benchmark which will be difficult for our future trips to top! We will definitely be back!! Thank you so much.


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    Tour St Therese

    My husband and I came here for an October half term holiday getaway. We’re expecting our first baby soon, so it was lovely to get away from it all on our last holiday abroad before he or she arrives in February. After a short 40-minute drive which twisted and turned its way through the beautiful Western France countryside, we arrived at Tour St Therese which was more stunning than I could ever have imagined. The house itself is set within beautiful walled gardens with an outdoor pool which will be perfect for relaxing in when the weather heats up. Once inside the house though, wow! You can’t help but look up and around you at all the wonderful architecture and craftsmanship of the building, with the spiral staircase and exposed timber beams, it really is like taking a step back in time. Our hostess, Paula, has added to the decor of the interior by decorating and furnishing each room exceptionally tastefully, keeping the charm of this lovely place in mind. We were greeted by Paula with a big friendly smile which never faded during our entire stay (4 nights), despite the fact she was busy attending to other guests who were also staying while we were there. The breakfasts she gave us were delicious, ranging from fresh bread and pastries from the local boulangerie to a full English fry up! We happily ate so much we didn’t really need any lunch! We were also offered dinner, which we were glad we didn’t turn down as, my, what a feast she laid on for us each evening! If Paula ever offers you dinner, don’t say no! She really is a brilliant cook! There is plenty to do in the area and lots of beautiful picturesque towns and villages to explore. We even managed to fit in a lovely 2-hour loop walk straight from outside Tour St Therese, following some walking route signs we came across! This is an idyllic place to stay if you want “an escape to the country” when you can leave all your worries behind you, soak in the peaceful serenity of the area and be spoilt rotten by the most wonderful host, Paula. We are already planning our return trip!


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    Northborough Manor Gatehouse

    We found this a perfect property for four couples celebrating a 40th birthday - providing surroundings which amply justified ‘dressing for dinner’ at the grand 18th century table in the dining room or settling around the even older kitchen table for more informal meals.

    The hosts were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the amazing history of the property and their love and care for the buildings was clear in the attention given to making the gatehouse a very comfortable place to stay – good quality bathrooms, beds, towels and linen and plenty of crockery and cutlery.

    Our late September visit still allowed some evenings to enjoy a drink by the shade of the medlar in the courtyard or a wander through the Italian garden and orchard. Sadly we failed to fit in a game of badminton or croquet, equipment for which was provided!

    We all enjoyed walking the fens and visiting diverse nearby places of interest, including Stamford, Flag Fen Bronze age settlement, Barnsdale gardens and Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue. We just didn’t have time in our ten days to visit more!

    Three couples had cars but the fourth travelled by train from London – a swift easy journey. We met them from the station but either the regular bus service or a cab would have been quick and relatively cheap ways to get to the house, so a stay without cars could work just as well. Indeed in the generally flat terrain, bicycles could have been the perfect form of transport!

    We would definitely happily stay there again!


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    Aliki

    We stayed in Villa Aliki at the beginning of June 2017 for our first family holiday for a few years. The location of the villa in easy walking distance of shops and restaurants was perfect and the views from the outside were beautiful. The owners were lovely, letting us stay the last day in the next door villa as we had a long wait between checking out and our flight home and with a young baby it was great to stay cool and have use of the facilities!

    If there was a couple of negative points i'd say it would be nice to have an information pack of some sort, for example a list of useful numbers and the locations of the nearest Drs/pharmacy etc. Also a welcome pack e.g. A bottle of water in the fridge and a loaf of bread for example, dishwasher tablets, soap etc some basic necessities for when you arrive at the villa at night after a long day of travelling would have been greatly appreciated.

    Overall it was a fantastic villa in a beautiful location and I would definitely both stay here again, and recommend to others.


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    Holidfay

    Review Great Easton Manor Dunmow U.K. July 9 to July 12 .. 4 nights
    Booked through Oliver’s Travels London U.K.

    Great Looking property advertised in a slick A.I. website by Oliver ‘s Travels. What’s not to like it has lots visual sizzle but unfortunately not lots of steak.
    I originally booked and paid for 5 nights but weeks after I had paid Olivers they cancelled the booking and offered now only 4 nights
    Sorry booking error on their part but by then I had already purchased event tickets for several days around Great Easton for the days after our arrival . I accepted the 4 night offered by Olivers because some of our family were already booked flying in from Germany on those dates and I thought with Olivers help I would find some accommodation near Great Easton and while without an arrival day it would be hectic but it was doable.
    Unfortunately Olivers was of no help ... I booked a hotel an hour away... and a week later Oliver’s advised the owner of Great Easton would not offer a full day refund from 5 nights to 4 nights so instead of a 20 % reduction in cost for the original 5 nights I was offered 70 % of a full day cost. I should have walked as it only got worse but I was boxed in because of flights and event tickets .
    On arrival day I asked for the dinner caters to be allowed to arrive at the Manor by 3 :00 pm instead of 4:00pm and for our family to arrive after 5:00 pm as now our arrival day because of the 4 nights from 5 nights and event tickets would be time constrained. Olivers advised for 100 GBP payable in advance the owner would have someone available for us. I declined to be extorted again , shifted the caterers to after 6:00pm and left our event early to arrive per our contract after 4: 00 pm. Guess what they were not ready , the bed room towels were still in the wash.
    After a perfunctory introduction to Great Easton Manor by the property assistant and on arrival of our caterers we discovered while the ... worked somewhat the oven was so badly greased over the caterers were afraid they might start a fire if they turned it on . The Aga ... quit the next day ... like the rest of the kitchen cooking area was covered in grease that the caterers would not use and thank goodness the micro wave worked or dinner would have been stone cold. Oh as night came on we also found there were no and I mean no dish drying towels , one dull carving knife but no other knifes . And the pool was too cloudy to use , some of the bedrooms while looking nice had no closets to hang clothes ... the owner had them locked up ... and in the morning , not a hair dryer in the entire house and oh when one of my family used the shower in their en suite room the water poured like a water fall through the living room ceiling below.
    Honestly I am not making any of this up , it was a classic internet Air BnB nightmare.
    I contacted Olivers in the morning as the owner would not give permission to Olivers to give us his contact information or even the contact info for his property assistant . When Olivers realized the condition of the property and my anger they give us the contact information.
    Now the owner and Olivers Travels were in a pickle , the property because it was not ready for occupants solutions had to occur immediately and they did .
    Over the next two days the property assistant spent 3 hours cleaning the oven , told us with some distain that the dish towels were in the outer annex building ... why they would not be in the only kitchen in the house still baffles my brain ... The property assistant delivered a new boxed hair dryer and some kitchen knives . The pool maintenance man chlorine shocked the pool and told us to wait for a day before using it. The Aga was re started but never came up to any temperature other than cold and remained like that with its oily smell right up until we left . Oh the leaking shower the plumber and the owner suggested to use another shower as to fix it would create a dreadful mess of opened walls etc.
    The owner asked after discussing all of these problems asked if there was anything we liked about the property .
    So here is my review . This is a great property but it is so poorly maintained that the slick photo website Is a border line fraud. The fact that the owner doesn’t understand that timely maintenance or indeed maintenance at all and attention to hospitality details would make this an incredible property and easily offer a return on invested capital in this property rental business.
    However since this property is and has been up for sale for quite a while it is clear to me this is a property flipper that has been caught without a secure seat in the game of property musical chairs.
    You can dismiss this review if you want but be aware. As for Olivers Travels I expect a branded travel company would vet the properties it advertises so what happened here ?
    I am on my own I might just as well have booked with Air BnB.


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    Villa holiday in Croatia

    Booked our villa in Croatia through Olivers travels and I would never book with them again. First of all they are not registered with ABTA so if there are any problems, you will struggle to receive any financial reward. You also have to book flights separately, therefore it’s not classed as a package holiday.

    The location of the villa was incorrect on their website and you could not walk to any shops/bars as stated in their description of the property. This was acknowledged by them after I made a complain on our return. We ordered a take away one night and even the delivery driver couldn't find it and the local rep had to provide directions.

    The villa was quite close to next door which had been rented out to a man who was arriving a couple of days after his children who came over and warned us they were having a party. The noise was horrendous. We did put in a complaint to the local rep who asked us to phone her if there was any further noise. We didn't as would she of really come out at 3am in the morning - I doubt it.

    Olivers Travels are quite crafty and they only introduce you to the property owners, therefore devolving them of all responsibility.

    They did suggest giving us one nights accommodation back (£317) but this was declined by the villa owners.

    Due to my negative experience with Oliver Travels, I would never book with them again and i suggest you take heed before deciding to book through them. This particular villa is also advertised on other websites so I should of checked other sites first (although the villa is called by different names)!


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    La Tour Des Vignes

    We loved our week in the tower! Received a warm welcome from Rita, who also kindly left a stash of provisions including two bottles of wine, pizza, salad, crisps, chocolate and other essentials to help us settle in. Plus treats for Molly the dog of course! The tower is rustic and characterful - small but very well equipped. The outside is fantastic - the pool, the hot tub, the view... Totally peaceful and private in a beautiful part of France. Nearby town has a lovely boulangerie for breakfast and we loved Sauveterre de Guyenne - very friendly tourist information office who took us on a quirky tour of the town with a glass of wine to finish. St Emilion only 40 minutes drive for wine connoisseurs but lots of lovely wine more locally - Maison du Vins in Duras very good, also friendly and you can try lots of different local wines. Thanks Rita - we'll be back!


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    Loch Lomond Manor

    Our visit was like a great house party where the hosts had forgotten to turn up. A beautiful distinguished house, full of history, art and Edwardian quirkiness. A welcoming atmosphere, immediately comfortable and homely. Generous hosts, despite their absence, leaving a feeling of friendship and true hospitality. Fine helpful and accommodating staff. Great gardens complete with deer who wandered in as we arrived - did Wesley the gardener put them there especially? Great library helpfully displayed to show us the history of the house and its occupants. Beautifully situated with easy access to hiking and historical attractions. A great Aga once you got the hang of it. A fitting five days finale to our 3 week hiking tour of the U.K for nine old friends from 5 countries. Very Difficult to leave the house behind. However, we have hundreds of photos to remind us.


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    chateau with pool (Loire) MANAY

    This project is simply stunning with lovely grounds, lake, 36 acres of land behind to explore and best of all your very own moat! There is also a black swan we dubbed Jean Pierre who patrols the lake and most and will not say no to some fresh bread. The chateau itself was delightful with en suite bedrooms with gorgeous views and a ... charm that did not make you feel too nervous sitting on the furniture. A special mention must be made to the housekeeper who was just fabulous and made you feel so welcome in this majestic home. I am already planning my next trip to this lovely house and could not recommend this property and area enough! 6 stars for the owner, staff, property and area!


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    Chateau Lignol

    There is something quite magical about Chateau Lignol, it envelops you and each day you relax a little more as you open the shutters onto green space and fields. You really are in your own little private heaven. Its a 14th Century hunting lodge with all the quirkiness of an older building that you just don't get with new properties.
    We were a party of 8 with 4 young children and enjoyed being able to unwind in the old chateau and the grounds. The children loved the lawned area for playing games and taking off their next superhero adventure.
    We were sorry to leave the property and look back on it with fond memories.


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