Splendid Sicilia featuring Palermo, Siracusa and Taormina

12/02/2019

Service

No and yes.
Tour

good tour

11/28/2019

Service

I was very happy with the way the tour was put together the accommodations were very nice food was terrific throughout the entire trip out to her guides and bus driver was very accommodating our hotel rooms were beautiful I thought it was very well organized and I would travel with Colette again and I would recommend other people
Tour

I thought the entire tour was very well put together

11/28/2019

Service

Given the fact that this was a long plane ride, a plane with more room would have made for a better experience. Found the large plane over was too tight, uncomfortable. Overall, just not enough space. Found food on board very satisfying though. Hotel rooms were not the greatest. We did realize size would be smaller; that wasn’t the problem. We did not receive the proper room in Taormina, where we had prepaid for an upgrade. The desk clerk seemed not that interested in helping. Our tour manager offered to step in and moved things along to correct the issue. We also prepaid for the Mt. Etna tour and were initially told we had not paid. That was resolved. You’d just think since we prepaid months in advance, we wouldn’t have had to deal with these issues. A bit annoying.
Tour

Overall, very pleasant. Liked Mt. Etna, wish we could have gotten closer!

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Splendid Sicilia tour. We're sorry to hear you experienced issues while on tour. Your feedback will be reviewed by our internal department managers so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

11/27/2019

Beware Seniors!

Service

The tour was interesting and guide was good. The tour was rated moderate walking which was not the case. There were many steep hills to climb and.lots of stairs. One day we walked over 16,000 steps equaling approximately seven miles. We were mostly seniors in our 70 and 80's. I could not participate in the last day of tour. In the future full disclosure of the terrain should be provided in advertising so travelers can make an informed decision. Possibly include mini transports up and down the hills. Sorry to say I would not recommend this trip due to how exhausting and grueling it was. Barbara Sykulski
Tour

For me Sicily's tour involved too many hills and stairs to climb on tours as well as entering/exiting hotel. The last day tour I chose not to leave hotel to just rest. Too much eggplant served at included dinners. It would have been helpful to provide handouts with information regarding each town visited.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Splendid Sicilia tour. We're sorry to hear you experienced issues with the pacing of the tour. Your feedback will be reviewed by our Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

11/06/2019

Our incredible guide made Sicily a wonderful adventure.

Service

Our wonderful guide Filippo Camerlingo made this trip into an awesome experience. He was knowledgeable, kind, attentive, and really funny. Our itinerary was perfect, we saw more than I thought possible, and were never bored for even one second.
Tour

We had the very unique experience of visiting a real old fashioned working farm in the Palermo countryside, the Case Varisco, and even got to have fresh mozzarella made right in front of us. Wonderful! Now, for the thing that was the most disappointing ... the hotel restaurants really fell down for our included breafasts.

10/25/2019

Fantastic. Organized. Guides and tour manager outstanding.

Service

Excellent accomodations and tour plan. Excellent tour manager and local guides.
Tour

most memorable was the farm luncheon in in Cefalu.

10/23/2019

Nice tour.

Service

It was a nice tour but I just wish there was a little more free time.
Tour

A few too many churches in one day!

10/16/2019

Service

The tour manager,Savio, was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable and personable. The choice of daily tours was good as were the tour guides. Would definitely recommend Collette tours to friends and family.
Tour

Loved Taormina and Castelmoro. End of tour dinner with Savio singing was memorable.

10/16/2019

Service

Probably not. While I like the fact we stayed 4 nights in each place, I found Palermo one of the dirtiest cities I have visited. It would have been better to stay somewhere on outskirts and do the day trips. Hotel there was just ok, nothing special except good location for getting around places to eat and shop. My room had a very bad odor last 2 days I was there. I reported it to front desk. Appeared all they did was spray to mask the odor. I had trouble getting boarding pass for trip home on El Italia and called Collette. The rep could not help and had trouble finding phone number for El Italia intternational, she first gave me a U.S. number even though I told her calling from Sicily. The filght schedules were not good. There was not enough time between flights to make connections. In Rome, they held the plane for me for return to U.S,. that was Delta. El Italia overall not good flights. Our tour guide, Savio, and driver, Guiseppe on the other hand were great as well as some of the day tours.
Tour

Preferred our time in Taomina. I loved the setting there. The farmhouse lunch was great.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Splendid Sicilia tour. We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the hotel in Palermo and with Alitalia Airlines. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design and Air Team's so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

10/16/2019

Service

I paid extra for a ocean view room and others on the tour had the same view and did not pay anything extra. My air was booked way in advance with Collette, seating included. When we got our boarding pass the seating was changed to seats we were trying to avoid. Collette did nothing to help.
Tour

If tour manager means tour guide, Savio was excellent.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Splendid Sicilia tour. We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with Alitalia airlines. While we can reserve seats for you on your flight, we can not guarantee them as they are in the control of the airline on the day of departure. We will share you concerns with our contacts at Alitalia so that future situations will be handled more efficiently.

Collette Support

10/09/2019

Service

Used Collette now for 7 trips...all of them were great.
Tour

Personal touch from the moment you meet your tour guide to the day you say your goodbyes.

09/18/2019

Tour guide lacking

Service

Our tour guide appeared bored and answered questions with an attitude that we were disturbing him.This did not diminish the beauty of Sicily ( not Palermo ).We wish we had had another place to form a first impression.
Tour

Taormina , Monreal, Modella

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Splendid Sicilia tour. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with your tour guide. Your comments will be reviewed by your tour guide's supervisor in the Tour Management department so that the overall touring experience can be improved.

Collette Support

05/03/2019

Service

I will buy from them again, excellent for me because everything is done and they help immediately if a problem arises. I saw so much more than if I had gone on my own.
Tour

Too difficult to pick one but 2 stand out, ricotta cheese farm and Mount Etna

05/01/2019

Tour 5* Flights Minus 10******

Service

Collette was wonderful. Transfers were great. Tour Manager was awesome and bus driver was also awesome. Quite the team they were! However, the flights with Alitalia left a very sour taste in my mouth. Food on plane was absolutely inedible and very mysterious, the flight attendants basically ignored us. Water was offered very few times and they discouraged us from going to the galley to get more. Very few bathrooms for the whole plane. On the flight home, we noticed what must have been a flight attendant travelling with us who got seated at the front with the extra legroom and everyone catered to her like she was a queen, while the rest of us fended for ourselves. So I am giving four stars for the trip and minus ten stars for the airline.
Tour

The farmhouse with Sarah was very entertaining and special.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Italy. Your feedback will be reviewed by our Air department in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

05/01/2019

Adequate tour of Sicily

Service

The tour Splendid Sicily was my first introduction to the island. The hotel choices were excellent. Great locations, courteous staff and nicely appointed rooms. A few of the sites explored by the tour could be changed. The trip to Seracusa was a long bus ride and we really never were explained exactly what we were going to see. The tour guide just rambled on about nothing. Taoramino was absolutely breath taking. Very much like the Amalfi coast. Private tours of a farm and villa in Palermo were very entertaining . The only real problem I encountered was with my airfare coming home. A mistake was made when entering it in the computer and my return ticket seats were given to others. The one hour allotted between connecting flights was not adequate. Running through the Rome airport and trying to get a boarding pass for the flight to New York was a most unpleasant experience. When collette was contacted about this the staff was not helpful at all and provided misinformation. For this reason alone, I would probably hesitate to use this agency again. I take up to 3 tours in Europe yearly, and other agencies have the tour director confirm flights home. Perhaps, Collette tours may entertain this with future tours.
Tour

Some experiences were boring and need change such as the 2 hour trip to Seracusa and back. Followup on flights home by tour director would provide a smooth transition to the end of the trip.

03/13/2019

Trip of a Lifetime

Service

Excellent all the way around! !! From the moment I landed, I was taken care of. Thank you for another WONDERFUL experience! This was my 3rd trip with Collette and I cannot wait for the next one!
Tour

This was a birthday trip for me and I couldn't imagine any other way to turn 39 then to be on MOUNT ETNA! I was hoping she would have her routine eruption as well. lol AWESOME SMALL group of only 13 made for one of my most favorite trips. I REALLY enjoyed the smaller group size. It was the very first time on a group tour that I was able to remember everyone's name! It's nice to know that.

11/28/2018

Great day at the Greek Ruins with some really nice people

Service

From start to finish it was a fun time. Our tour leader Yovanka was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Franco our driver made us all feel safe in all our rides through windy roads. We also had a great group of people in our group
Tour

Loved meeting the contessa and going to the farm and have homemade recotta

11/28/2018

Service

Customer service was great in that they were trying to coordinate three of us coming from two different countries.
Tour

The tour itself was outstanding. Sicily is beautiful. The culture and history is so rich. Two years ago I went on another Italy tour and met Carolynn from South Carolina and Janet from England. We've been friends ever since and met in Vegas earlier this year.

11/14/2018

Great Trip Highly Recommend, so much different from Italy!

Service

This was my 5th Collette tour and I absolutely loved my experience in Sicily.
Tour

Great Hotel Locations and service. A well put together Itinerary, lots of great experiences especially the Farm visit.

11/07/2018

Great tours.

Service

Yes I would use them again. Good price, hotels, guides, tour managers ...some place visited though were not that great.
Tour

I enjoyed seeing Mt. Aetna although it was very windy and cold. Could have had more time there though. Loved town of Taormina.

11/07/2018

WOW !!!

Service

Collette Europe Tours had door to airport service. I had gate to gate wheelchair service. The great Tour Manager took care of my diet needs, which was very helpful in traveling. T our Manager did such a good job taking care of everyone's needs. I do plan on traveling again with Collette. At the end of the tour we all had dinner at a local café. What a meal and wonderful music.
Tour

The country side was so beautiful and loved the farm.

11/01/2018

Another great Collette tour!

Service

The Collette tour of Sicily was excellent. We pretty much saw everything one could see, the bus was comfortable, hotels were good, and the food was great.
Tour

Yes, the tour was great because we saw all the highlights of Sicily and didn't have to drive great distances. The food and hotels were excellent.

10/31/2018

A unique experience different from Italy!

Service

This was our 5th Collette tour and just like the ones before them absolutely amazing. We have been to Italy before but Sicily was an entirely different experience. The reason we chose this itinerary was the ease of having (2) 4 nights stays, so it had a leisurely pace. Palermo, although a big city had old world charm and Taormina knocked our socks off. The cuisine was very different than that to the main land but equally delicious, unbutton your belts for the wonderful lunch experience at the farm. Another big highlight was seeing Mt. Etna through an Ancient Greek theatre it brought chills to me. Also last but not least as always Collette always has the best Tour Guides who took care of everything. A+ Collette
Tour

Ease of booking from start to finish! Great communication.

10/17/2018

Sicily is beautiful!

Service

Collette always does a fine job, this is our second trip w/Collette in 3 years we took two trips.
Tour

Taoromino was gorgeous so was the Hotel Villa Diodoro

10/03/2018

Super, super, super! Couldn't be better!

Service

Well-laid out tour, interesting sites, professional tour manager and guides. It was magical. We can't wait to do another!
Tour

Like most people, we always thought Sicily was just a part of Italy. But we learned it has its own language, culture and history. In over 2,700 yrs of recorded civilization, it has only been part of Italy for 150 years. The richness of the separate Sicilian culture made this tour a gem.

06/13/2018

Another Noteworthy Collette Tour

Service

The excellent experience is due to the phenomenal Collette tour manager Sergio. Secondly, the group was extremely homogeneous and friendly. Thirdly, Taormina is an outstanding place to visit and finally a 2x4 night/location stay was notewoarthy.
Tour

Se above comments! -----------------

06/13/2018

A Terrific tour!

Service

Service was excellent. This was our third Collette tour. Having Sergio as our tour manager made this tour unforgettable.
Tour

Most memorable about this tour was the fact that everyone was friendly. Our farewell dinner was outstanding.

05/05/2018

Service

The tour manager was on top of everything. Each stop was interesting.
Tour

There were several. This trip included walking on Mt. Etna, a visit to the home of a countess and a demonstration of making cheese. Quite a variety - in addition we saw some phenomenal ancient historical sites.

01/29/2018

Good service

Service

Keep us informed & answered all questions.
Tour

The tour was full of many beautiful locations. Seeing how the "Natives" live was enjoyable. We even met a Countess.

11/29/2017

more thought to be given for free time

Service

When not on tour with the group you should be given names of things to see and restaurants recommendations. Which shops to go to which are most popular and offer the best value. You fall short in that area.
Tour

I did not like the Hotel Borsa Staff was extremely unfriendly and non compliant

11/20/2017

Service

I would highly recommend Collette (have already encouraged a friend, and he has booked a tour), and will definitely be using them again - in fact, I have already booked my next tour with them. Everyone who answers the phone is pleasant, helpful and seems genuinely excited about my trip! They keep their notes up-to-date and work around any concerns I may have regarding flight times, layovers, etc. I don't have a home computer, and they called me with a last minute change to a hotel - for that I'm very appreciative.
Tour

The tour was fabulous! A good mix of activities (farm visit and lunch, winery, duchess' home, rural artist's estate, fresh cannoli at a rest stop, time for shopping, lots of historic ruins, etc.). The last day was the best - with a visit to and free time in seaside Taormina, and a wonderful dinner with musicians back in Catania. Wanted to give a shout out to Massimo, our driver - the most important person on the tour! I would let him drive my bus anywhere! The tour manager was excellent and his warmth and camaraderie let 34 strangers become friends for the 10 days we were together!

11/17/2017

Would rather deal directly with the tour company!

Service

Having to work through an independent travel agent (Avoya) was not pleasant. The service during the tour by Colette was good.
Tour

Outstanding tour director and driver. Some interesting day trips such as the cheese farm. Great trip to Mt. Etna. Last minute change of hotel location was a problem.

11/15/2017

Service

Sicily was beautiful and we had the best tour guide, ******.
Tour

Taorima was great. I enjoyed having free time in each of our destinations.

11/01/2017

Splendid time in Sicily!

Service

Our travel guide, Misia, was wonderful and informative. She was put in a difficult position because many of the group members came with their own travel agent, who was difficult to say the least. It did put a damper on our vacation because there was always a conflict at every site visit regarding taxi's, walking, etc. Excursions to the winery, farm, meeting the countess in her home, and botanical gardens in someone's home were outstanding!
Tour

Farm, winery, countess excursions were a great insight into the personal lives in Sicily.

10/11/2017

Service

******* was an absolute jewel as our tour director; very professional, knowledgeable, and fun. ***************
Tour

great experience and interesting participants on the tour

06/17/2017

Viva Sicilia!

Service

The SW app is really well done and most helpful. Tour Director was very good and all local guides were very good. Great idea to work from only two different hotels (both very good) and to start in Palermo and end in Catania ... the tour seemed to get better everyday with the crowning day outing to Taormina.
Tour

What a wonderful experience this tour was! Our tour director was very good and we had a wonderful group of people on the tour, all American and from coast to coast. If you are ever considering going to Sicily ... DO SO! It is a stunningly beautiful island, the people are warm and friendly and the food and wines are truly memorable ... we are both carrying the extra pounds to prove it.

06/15/2017

Service

TOUR WAS WELL MANAGED AND WELL PLANNED
Tour

LOVED EXTRA TRIP TO MT EDNA, WISH WE HAD MORE TIEM THERE.

06/14/2017

Service

Tour was well communicated and planned. Tour guides were knowledgeable and helpful which made the experience a great one.
Tour

Had a great time with so many wonderful experiences.

06/14/2017

Excellent trip

Service

Trip was well planned-excellent tour guide in Ivanka. Only bad feature was there were 40 People
Tour

Well Done--Trips to different sites and well Planned tours--excellent food

11/11/2016

Great

Service

wonderful trip, Bryce Hilll was a terrific tour director
Tour

A really great tour and accomadations

11/08/2016

see above

Service

The accommodations, primary guide (Brice), local guides, bus driver Mario), places of interest, including Visit With The Countess, the Sicilian Farm, optional excursions and farewell dinner were exceptional. The number of people in our tour and the use of personal ear phones contributed to our favorable experience. The weather was perfect but Collette does not get credit for that.
Tour

See above answer in #1 "Your Experience"

10/11/2016

Excellent service by Collette US

Service

GUIDE, HOTELS SITES SUPIOR

10/05/2016

This was our third experience travelling with Collette and expected the sam...

Service

This was our third experience travelling with Collette and expected the same excellent travelling adventure. We were slightly disappointed on two fronts. The first was the quality of the group meals on two or three occasions at the hotels or local restaurants. We believe that time should have been spent finding quality restaurants because quite frankly, drinking warm red wine and trying to eat poor quality meals was disappointing. Secondly, people travelling with Collette are on average older people and need more time in the morning after breakfast to not only get ready for the activities planned for that day, but to have time to go the washroom. Later departures is probably the only alternative because the restaurants did not open earlier even though we had early departures. Our digestive systems was still trying to adapt after a long trip. Our overall experience is good and the guide did her best to leave us with everlasting memories.
Tour

Visiting and eating a good meal at a farm and a vineyard.

05/31/2016

Service

We had an excellent tour, tour guide Misia was phenomenal. The excursions , the dinners were all very well done. Kudos to Collette.

05/17/2016

A dream trip.

Service

The tour was wonderful. A lot of climbing up hill which sometimes was a little difficult. However, the places we saw especially the little town of Cefulu were just amazing. I wish that I could spent more time there. I did not like the two restaurants that we were taken to. The food was greasy and not good quality. I felt like we were rushed. Our tour manager Sergio was unbelievable he couldn't be nicer. He was knowledgeable, caring and so funny.
Tour

Cefulu was amazing a little piazza so pretty.

05/03/2016

Service

Well organized and interesting tour.
Tour

Sergio and Antone were fabulous!

04/28/2016

i recommend you guys to everyone thinking about a vacation abroad

Service

we booked late but the c/s was terrific and gave me the best they had on flight and tour. I had called a couple of times to check and recheck prices and tour and nobody lost patience with me.
Tour

our tour manager Sergio, was great. He was hands-on all day and evening. We kept meeting him in the lobby and then on the street on free evenings. He recommended restaurants and shops and the best food for the area. His knowledge and the local guides gave us a real education of history of Sicily. And we loved having just 2 hotels. Not changing hotels every other day was a big plus. It made the trip easier and more relaxing. We got to know the neighborhood.

04/21/2016

Service

First class! I have recommended this company to friends.
Tour

Loved touring the small towns. Enjoyed the food, the wine and all the experiences on the tour. The special lunches and dinners were amazng.