sookie222
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
I’ve just returned from Lake Como, my first visit to Italy and second Just You holiday. Our Tour manager, Marius, met us at Milan airport and did a great job of guiding us throughout our included and optional excursions. He had a great sense of humour and remained totally professional and approachable throughout the holiday.

There were 25 of us on the tour (4 men), majority flew from Heathrow, others direct from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Age range c.59-82. Our hotel Bazzoni, in Tremezzo (half way along the length of the lake), was right on the lakeside and we all had fabulous views across the lake from our balcony. There was a sun terrace with outdoor pool at the rear of the hotel which could be accessed between the 2nd and 3rd floor of the hotel. Our inclusive evening meals in the hotel were very acceptable with free unlimited wine (surprisingly palatable!). There were three tables booked for Just You in the dining room and we all mixed well, just occupying whichever seat was available as each of us arrived in the dining room.

The weather was a bit mixed but the sun always seemed to make an appearance mid-afternoon, even on the wet days (think it’s probably usual for Sept!). We travelled back and forwards across the lake to visit gardens and villages and also had an impromptu early evening cruise around the Lake to view some fabulous villas whilst sipping a glass of Prosecco. We also travelled by coach to Lake Maggiore where we visited two islands - more beautiful gardens and places to eat. I loved all the gardens we visited during the holiday. I would post some photos if I can find out how – Just You, could you please let me know how to add photos – I looked at your Facebook page too but couldn’t seem to add any photos there either. Thx.

The only optional tour I would not pre-book again, is the Bernina Express train to St. Moritz. It would have been a lovely train ride if the weather was good but it rained all day for us and the thick low cloud made it impossible to see any beautiful views. Hence, I suggest waiting to see what the weather is like before booking this excursion! Lovely holiday, not too tiring and no rush to have breakfast – except for the Bernina Express when we had to leave the hotel at 8.30 a.m.

The only thing that upset me was the stress and anxiety I experienced trying to find my way around Heathrow totally ALONE. The Just You quote, “All we ask you to do is pick your holiday and pack your bags, we’ll do the rest” isn’t exactly what happens when you are flying to Heathrow from a local airport. I won’t write in detail about what happened to me as I tried to cope with - Arriving at Terminal 5, getting to my Heathrow hotel, getting to Terminal 4 the following morning when there were no direct transfers and, on return from my holiday, getting from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 in time for the last flight to Newcastle. For someone who isn’t a frequent traveller, believe me the whole experience was very stressful. Now that I have experienced Heathrow and have documented all the pitfalls, platforms and appropriate terminal floors etc. I probably won’t be so nervous next time. However, I am sure there are probably other prospective travellers who would love to book a fabulous Just You holiday but are being put off by the thought of having to cope with Heathrow! Would be great if Just You could provide a good information package for those Heathrow virgins, instead of just directing them to the Heathrow website (think that method is only guaranteed to work if all travellers use computers regularly and are not likely to be nervous 60-80 yr olds!!!)

Btw, in case any fellow Lake Como travellers read this review, it was lovely to meet you all and I did make it home without having to sleep on the floor at Heathrow - my Newcastle flight was delayed by 1hr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SarahS
(Member)
A great review. Lake Como is on my - very long - list. It sounds a really good trip. I was very interested to hear how highly you rated the tour manager. I hope he was the same Marius who is with us in Pompeii on 7 October. Well done you for navagating Heathrow. It can be a nightmare especially if you need to change terminals. Did you know that there are lots purple suited staff employed by the airport to help passengers find their way around? When they are free, they normally stand near the designated information points. I hope your experience at Heathrow won't put you off travelling from there again. The next time will be nowhere near as daunting.
nixon
  • (Member)
(Member)
Thanks for the review sound like a good tour. I am sorry you found LHR a challenge, I do get your point and hope JY can help future travellers, I am lucky in one way that I Live close by LHR and spent most of my working life there, I also did volunteer when T5 opened, hope your next experience of LHR is a better one.

Cindy

katy1717
(Member)
Thanks for the review. Sounds as if you had a good time. Would like to get round to this trip some time. Sorry about your experience of Heathrow, but I'm sure you will be more confident with navigating it next time.

Katy

sookie222
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
'SarahS' wrote:

A great review. Lake Como is on my - very long - list. It sounds a really good trip. I was very interested to hear how highly you rated the tour manager. I hope he was the same Marius who is with us in Pompeii on 7 October. Well done you for navagating Heathrow. It can be a nightmare especially if you need to change terminals. Did you know that there are lots purple suited staff employed by the airport to help passengers find their way around? When they are free, they normally stand near the designated information points. I hope your experience at Heathrow won't put you off travelling from there again. The next time will be nowhere near as daunting.

Hi Sarah, I did see one or two of the dark purple suited staff on my return to Heathrow, although it wasn't obvious what there job was - bright orange suits with 'Assistance' might have been more helpful 🙂. However, when travelling early hours of the morning, all terminals are totally deserted, no information desks, no purple suited helpers, nothing! Apparently Heathrow Express trains don't open their platform until 5.00am but there wasn't even a noticeboard giving that information! Hope I don't forget everything I have learned by the time I book my next holiday 🙂.

sookie222
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
'sookie222' wrote:

I’ve just returned from Lake Como, my first visit to Italy and second Just You holiday. Our Tour manager, Marius, met us at Milan airport and did a great job of guiding us throughout our included and optional excursions. He had a great sense of humour and remained totally professional and approachable throughout the holiday.

There were 25 of us on the tour (4 men), majority flew from Heathrow, others direct from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Age range c.59-82. Our hotel Bazzoni, in Tremezzo (half way along the length of the lake), was right on the lakeside and we all had fabulous views across the lake from our balcony. There was a sun terrace with outdoor pool at the rear of the hotel which could be accessed between the 2nd and 3rd floor of the hotel. Our inclusive evening meals in the hotel were very acceptable with free unlimited wine (surprisingly palatable!). There were three tables booked for Just You in the dining room and we all mixed well, just occupying whichever seat was available as each of us arrived in the dining room.

The weather was a bit mixed but the sun always seemed to make an appearance mid-afternoon, even on the wet days (think it’s probably usual for Sept!). We travelled back and forwards across the lake to visit gardens and villages and also had an impromptu early evening cruise around the Lake to view some fabulous villas whilst sipping a glass of Prosecco. We also travelled by coach to Lake Maggiore where we visited two islands - more beautiful gardens and places to eat. I loved all the gardens we visited during the holiday. I would post some photos if I can find out how – Just You, could you please let me know how to add photos – I looked at your Facebook page too but couldn’t seem to add any photos there either. Thx.

The only optional tour I would not pre-book again, is the Bernina Express train to St. Moritz. It would have been a lovely train ride if the weather was good but it rained all day for us and the thick low cloud made it impossible to see any beautiful views. Hence, I suggest waiting to see what the weather is like before booking this excursion! Lovely holiday, not too tiring and no rush to have breakfast – except for the Bernina Express when we had to leave the hotel at 8.30 a.m.

The only thing that upset me was the stress and anxiety I experienced trying to find my way around Heathrow totally ALONE. The Just You quote, “All we ask you to do is pick your holiday and pack your bags, we’ll do the rest” isn’t exactly what happens when you are flying to Heathrow from a local airport. I won’t write in detail about what happened to me as I tried to cope with - Arriving at Terminal 5, getting to my Heathrow hotel, getting to Terminal 4 the following morning when there were no direct transfers and, on return from my holiday, getting from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 in time for the last flight to Newcastle. For someone who isn’t a frequent traveller, believe me the whole experience was very stressful. Now that I have experienced Heathrow and have documented all the pitfalls, platforms and appropriate terminal floors etc. I probably won’t be so nervous next time. However, I am sure there are probably other prospective travellers who would love to book a fabulous Just You holiday but are being put off by the thought of having to cope with Heathrow! Would be great if Just You could provide a good information package for those Heathrow virgins, instead of just directing them to the Heathrow website (think that method is only guaranteed to work if all travellers use computers regularly and are not likely to be nervous 60-80 yr olds!!!)

Btw, in case any fellow Lake Como travellers read this review, it was lovely to meet you all and I did make it home without having to sleep on the floor at Heathrow - my Newcastle flight was delayed by 1hr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just You - I think you may have missed my request in the middle of my review - could you please let me know how I can post some photos of my Lake Como holiday please. Thank you

SarahS
(Member)
The first steps are aways the hardest. Here's to your next holiday
marks
  • (Member)
(Member)
'sookie222' wrote:

I’ve just returned from Lake Como, my first visit to Italy and second Just You holiday. Our Tour manager, Marius, met us at Milan airport and did a great job of guiding us throughout our included and optional excursions. He had a great sense of humour and remained totally professional and approachable throughout the holiday.

There were 25 of us on the tour (4 men), majority flew from Heathrow, others direct from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Age range c.59-82. Our hotel Bazzoni, in Tremezzo (half way along the length of the lake), was right on the lakeside and we all had fabulous views across the lake from our balcony. There was a sun terrace with outdoor pool at the rear of the hotel which could be accessed between the 2nd and 3rd floor of the hotel. Our inclusive evening meals in the hotel were very acceptable with free unlimited wine (surprisingly palatable!). There were three tables booked for Just You in the dining room and we all mixed well, just occupying whichever seat was available as each of us arrived in the dining room.

The weather was a bit mixed but the sun always seemed to make an appearance mid-afternoon, even on the wet days (think it’s probably usual for Sept!). We travelled back and forwards across the lake to visit gardens and villages and also had an impromptu early evening cruise around the Lake to view some fabulous villas whilst sipping a glass of Prosecco. We also travelled by coach to Lake Maggiore where we visited two islands - more beautiful gardens and places to eat. I loved all the gardens we visited during the holiday. I would post some photos if I can find out how – Just You, could you please let me know how to add photos – I looked at your Facebook page too but couldn’t seem to add any photos there either. Thx.

The only optional tour I would not pre-book again, is the Bernina Express train to St. Moritz. It would have been a lovely train ride if the weather was good but it rained all day for us and the thick low cloud made it impossible to see any beautiful views. Hence, I suggest waiting to see what the weather is like before booking this excursion! Lovely holiday, not too tiring and no rush to have breakfast – except for the Bernina Express when we had to leave the hotel at 8.30 a.m.

The only thing that upset me was the stress and anxiety I experienced trying to find my way around Heathrow totally ALONE. The Just You quote, “All we ask you to do is pick your holiday and pack your bags, we’ll do the rest” isn’t exactly what happens when you are flying to Heathrow from a local airport. I won’t write in detail about what happened to me as I tried to cope with - Arriving at Terminal 5, getting to my Heathrow hotel, getting to Terminal 4 the following morning when there were no direct transfers and, on return from my holiday, getting from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 in time for the last flight to Newcastle. For someone who isn’t a frequent traveller, believe me the whole experience was very stressful. Now that I have experienced Heathrow and have documented all the pitfalls, platforms and appropriate terminal floors etc. I probably won’t be so nervous next time. However, I am sure there are probably other prospective travellers who would love to book a fabulous Just You holiday but are being put off by the thought of having to cope with Heathrow! Would be great if Just You could provide a good information package for those Heathrow virgins, instead of just directing them to the Heathrow website (think that method is only guaranteed to work if all travellers use computers regularly and are not likely to be nervous 60-80 yr olds!!!)

Btw, in case any fellow Lake Como travellers read this review, it was lovely to meet you all and I did make it home without having to sleep on the floor at Heathrow - my Newcastle flight was delayed by 1hr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the great review. It is on my very long list of things to do! :)

Mark

Houghtie
(Member)
Hi Sookie, this is your fellow traveller who used to live in Whitley Bay! So glad you managed to make your connection and didn't have to spend the night in the terminal. Sorry we didn't have time to swop e-mail addresses.[/size][/font]

Julia
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Sookie,

Your photos have been received (they are fantastic) - as soon as the team have uploaded them to our facebook account - we will post a link here on the community so everyone can have a look.

Many thanks

Julia

sookie222
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
'Houghtie' wrote:

Hi Sookie, this is your fellow traveller who used to live in Whitley Bay! So glad you managed to make your connection and didn't have to spend the night in the terminal. Sorry we didn't have time to swop e-mail addresses.[/size][/font]

Hi Fellow Traveller! I didn't realise you looked at the Community page, thought I was the only one of our group who viewed JY online. I trust you got your bus too without any problems. I enjoyed the holiday, a nice friendly group and it was fun spending time with you. I'm now saving towards the Canada tour that I've been dithering about for a while. Probably won't happen until 2017 as I have other plans for next year but it's definitely on the radar now! Hope you find more JY holidays that you enjoy, might meet again on one of them some day. Take care

Julia
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi all,

Sookie222's photos are now on the Just You facebook page and you can view them all here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153748417241869.1073741861.10432706868&type=3 

Thanks for sharing these with us

Kindest regards,

Julia

Bosuncat
(Member)
Hi Sookie.

I am so glad that you had a good time. I have been to Como, albeit briefly on a day trip from Milan. Beautiful spot. I would love to spend more time there.

Picking up on your point on Heathrow. I do agree. I had to use the newish Terminal 2 for the first time this last holiday and found it somewhat confusing. I can only imagine what finding your way connecting to different terminals is like.

I had a bit of a nightmare coming back as the Central Bus Station was closed (fortunately I knew beforehand) and had to find the temporary one and get from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2. Fortunately a fellow traveller from the trip and myself were helped out by another traveller but it was a bit of a hike including going down a steep escalator with a large suitcase, and the signage was very poor. Thankfully the bus station is back to normal now. 🙂

Kezzer46
(Member)
Hi Sookie, Your pictures are lovely.. looks like an amazing place. Thank you for sharing.

Kind Regards

Kezzer