On September 11, we embarked on a 10 day, Brightwater Holidays Tour to visit the Gardens of the…read moreNorthern Italian Lakes. Having been to Italy a number of times, but never to the lake area, we were excited about experiencing the gardens, villas and countryside that this region offers. The trip exceeded our expectations in every way. We spent 3 days in Como on Lago di Como in the Barchetta Excelsior hotel which was centrally located and served as our base for visiting several attractions including Villa Carlotta, Villa Balbianello, Villa d' Este and Villa Melzi all exquisite in all respects. A visit to Bellagio allowed us to experience the village and grab something light for lunch. Four days were spent at Lake Garda at the Grand Hotel, an exceptional, lakeside hotel that personifies the word "Grand" for sure. Visits to the villa and garden at Il Vittoriale degli Italiani at the eccentric former home of Gabriele d' Annunzio, the whimsical, Andre Heller Botanical Garden and Villa Cavazzo, with its private gardens, on privately owned, Isola del Garda filled our days. A trip to a lemon house in Tignale and a visit to the quaint village of Gargnano rounded out our stay in Garda before leaving for Stresa on Lake Maggiore. Prior to our arrival in Stresa, a stop was made in Desenzano to visit the ruins and some floor mosaics of a Roman villa. A stop at Erbusco, in the Franciacorta basin, to tour the Bellavista winery and taste their wines was included along the way. Our stay in Stresa was also lakeside at the Hotel LaPalma, a modernized, vintage hotel with a fabulous Skybar providing unobstructed views of the lake and area. Our remaining 3 days were spent on Lake Maggiore and included visits to the botanical gardens of Villa Taranto, containing specimens collected from all over the world by the Scotsman Neil McEachem, a day trip visit to the lesser lake of Orta San Giulio included a visit to a 12th century island Basilica and a stroll up the Unesco World Heritage Site of the Sacred Mount on a hillside overlooking Lake Orta. An afternoon trip away from Lake Maggiore took us to the Villa Cicogna Mozzoni where a tour of the villa and gardens by its owner, Iacopo Cicogna Mozzoni, underscored the importance and urgency of preserving a family's beautiful, frescoed, historic home and terraced gardens with limited funds and support was evident. Visits to the Borromean Islands of Bella and Madre allowed visits to their respective gardens and villas. They were truly exquisite. The tour, with its choice of sites to visit, the accommodations, the food, the lake and land transportation experiences was outstanding. The precision travel logistics and the depth and richness of this trip could not have been realized without our Brightwater Tour guide, Kate Williamson, whose depth of knowledge, insight, historical anecdotes and humor, were expressed with a great degree of passion and enthusiasm. This traveler has experienced many, many tour guides but none as exceptional as Kate.

This is my second stay at the Macdonald Rusacks hotel in St Andrews while visiting St Andrews…read moreUniversity. The hotel has a beautiful view over the famous old course and many of the rooms and the breakfast and bar have windows looking out on the course. I could sit for hours watching the clouds, ocean and gulf views. The staff at the hotel are very helpful and service is excellent. Although we had a problem with our reservation with American express (i didn't know they were assoc with Expedia) the front desk and manager Robin were very helpful in assisting me. We enjoyed our visit and will be back!

Billing fiasco with MacDonald Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews!…read moreDOUBLE-CHARGED! $3,415.96 for a four night stay. Still in shock. Here's what happened: My travel agent found a deal online. After making the booking, she called their general reservations line add a third person to our room (since I was going to be joined by both my sons). "One room for three people," she told them, "...and since I've already booked online, please make sure I have just one room." Just one room...simple enough. They assured her that's what we had. I checked in. Got my room. No problem there. Two double beds and a great view. The shock came as I went to check out. I asked for a pre-print of my bill. It showed a total charge of 1,701.20 pounds sterling. When I went to pay it, the desk clerk told me disregard it...here was a SECOND BILL--a total charge of 2,678.20 pounds sterling. "YOU HAD TWO ROOMS," she said. What?! My head reeling, I asked for a manager. And waited... Half an hour or so later, the manager finally came. She explained I had two separate reservations in their computer. One I knew about, and one I didn't. The computer apparently showed me leaving one room and taking up residence in the other room, for additional days. How weird! No justification how or why two successive stays would be booked for a single guest. No apology, no solution offered, and she would not reduce the charge. She just tried to put the blame on my travel agent. But, I told her, the agent called in advance to confirm, and MacDonald Rusacks never mentioned they had us double-booked. Nothing to be done, apparently. I gave them my credit card, and assured them my travel agent would follow up... FOUR PHONE CALLS LATER, my travel agent STILL has never been able to speak with a manager. That leaves me no choice but to make this post. $3,415.96 for a four night stay, for one double room. For the price, I could have had a suite. Don't you think the front desk should have mentioned at time of check in, that they had TWO ROOMS reserved for me? Seems like they should have noticed. Seems like they should have spoken up. And though I would not normally complain about such things, this billing problem has me on edge, so I will add that the level of service at this hotel is not what it used to be. The hotel is understaffed. The help is young and untrained. Service in the restaurant and pub excruciatingly slow. Furniture is dusty, the place needs a good vacuum. We noticed a dead fly on the table on the stairway landing, that actually remained for almost three days. My son and I joked about it. We overheard complaints from the staff people themselves that they needed more help. And discussions right there in the hotel parlor, about performance improvement plans for employees. Good grief. So sad. It used to be my favorite place. Not anymore.

This hotel is absolutely the best hotel we've stayed in. The spacious room was so comfortable. The…read moreview was beautiful. The staff were so helpful and friendly. The food was *chef kiss* so delicious and fresh. We came with a group of golf friends and had a wonderful time. Would highly recommend! A nice walk from the Golf Museum and other bars and restaurants.

From the moment we walked in the door until we left, this hotel hit the mark every step of the way…read more An elegant, modern hotel with outstanding rooms. The staff is both warm and professional. The views of the Old Course from the 4th floor bar and restaurant are terrific. The restaurant was the best place we ate in Scotland.

The communication was excellent from when i enquired about the costs to book a collection all the…read moreway through to the day of collection. Tim was very professional, efficient and friendly. I was welcomed at the station exactly on time. Tim knew what time my train was coming and had the door open ready and waiting for me the second i stepped of the platform. He was also extremely helpful and offered to collect me from the airport as my flight was delayed. He was understanding and patient and worked around me when my flight was late and i had to change the collection time. Quality service. 5 star service right from the beginning. Got me to and thro from my destination in record time. Arrived on time both ways. I would highly recommend and I also got the history of the town on my journey which was an extra bonus. He also provided recommendations for easier travel options from London which was a great help. Thanks Tim. Everything was perfect

Starfish Taxis was wonderful to work with. I contacted them before our cruise to set up pick up at…read morethe cruise terminal, trip to St. Andrews, and then back to the terminal after we played golf. They helped me with the timeline and everything went so smoothly. Wonderful, friendly, punctual drivers both ways and very reasonable pricing. Would highly recommend them for any transportation needs!