Away from the Crowds

Reviews

unforgettable

Our holiday was fabulous. We had some problems with the bikes which you may already know. The lodging you arranged for us was fantastic.

You really lived up to your name “Away from the Crowds” and we really liked that aspect of the adventure.

I want to particularly make you aware of 2 ladies at Avenida Hotel in Santiago who were especially helpful to us as we were arranging transportation and activities. They were delightful and very gracious hosts and although I told them I would appreciate you making them aware of our great appreciation.

Raquel, I cannot express how much we enjoyed this holiday and how your company made this so easy for us. It was an unforgettable experience and I thank you on behalf of my family for making it happen.

Rex Craig, USA.

Our pleasure!

Jaime, AFTC.

incredibly beautiful and inspirational

I thought it would be challenging but never realised quite how incredibly beautiful and inspirational the towns and places that I passed through along the route was going to be.

The people I met along the way were varied, from groups to loners, like myself, but I never felt alone. The smiles, nods and greeting on the travel made you feel like you were part of a large family all heading towards the ultimate destination of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

Having had a taste of the Camino and all it offers I can honestly say, I will be back!!

Thank you Away from the Crowds, for enabling me to enjoy a wonderful journey.

Diane, (Perth, Western Australia)

an experience we will always treasure

We had a fantatsic experience with Away from the crowds and our 8-day walk on the Camino.

Communication was prompt, warm, caring, and the staff responded to our every need.

The luggage tranfers went flawlessly and all the hotels we were booked into met high standards of cleanliness and warm hospitality.

We are from California, knew little about Spain, and wanted a local company to guide us (while we still had lots of independence, and did our own thing). Away from the crowds was the perfect choice. We plan to think about cycling with them another year -

Spain was remarkably beautiful, easy to travel in, gentle on the senses, safe, and very welcoming (despite our very poor Spanish langugae abilities). It was also less expensive than other parts of Europe - while offering magnificent scenery and delicious food. The local produce was better than you can get in California in our view.

The walk on the Camino was an experience we will always treasure - and we would want to let others who may think about it know that one needs to be prepared for walking with many many people on the trail, quiet a few bicycles, and even groups on horseback. For us, we were surprised about (though I think we were told of the popularity of the walk), as we imagined the walk would offer us an environment more supportive of contemplation and reflection. There was a great deal of stimulation and it was not as conducive to those aspects of our desired time away. This does not reflect at all on our stellar reviews of this company, the staff at Away from the crowds, and the company's fine mission. You guys are the best!! 🌠🌠

Thank you for everything,

Jann & Ewald, USA

We loved the route, and you described perfectly the dramatic landscape change that we witnessed when moving from Castilla Y Leon to Asturias.

As promised, I said I would give you feedback on the bikes, and I have also provided more general feedback on the trip.

The feedback on the bikes is quite simple. They were really high-quality bikes and I think they are just the right mix of comfort and performance that is needed on a trip like this. They were well set-up, I assume by the bike shop and the gearing set-up was very smooth with no issues at all.

I can only guess that the problem I had on my bike was a freak manufacturing issue, as it happened on a relatively flat road with no surface issues. The way you were able to resolve the issue was above and beyond what a customer can expect and I was very grateful for this.

More generally, the route was great, and I have to say that the hotels were exceptional. I don’t know how you find these places, but we loved every one of them. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but the combination of fantastic room, friendliness of the family and a memorable dinner just edges the Rectoral de Goian for me. However, the Astorga Hotel room (sorry suite) was incredible and could have housed out whole family! I loved the food at O Pino and restoration of the Parada das Bestas building was really impressive. This is not a criticism of any others, it’s just that these things stood out for me.

The problem with the supplied room in Leon did not cause us any problems at all. The receptionist was very apologetic and made a real point on ensuring that we knew that it was the fault of the hotel. Mistakes happen, and it didn’t detract from a nice stay.

We loved the route, and you described perfectly the dramatic landscape change that we witnessed when moving from Castilla Y Leon to Asturias. The hotel in Santiago was pefectly located for exploring the City. We actually took the train to A Coruna on our extra day so that we could see the city. That was a great addition to our trip.

As is usual now, we had a great trip and thanks for putting together an interesting route, as well as finding these exceptional hotels.

Regards Ged Bell, Scotland

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