A few pros and cons of the vacation in general:

PROS:

* The Tour Manager Caroline was excellent as always. I went to Marrakech when she was TM, and knew I would be well looked after if she was doing Lake Como. She effortlessly moved things along, organising everything, buying tickets, yet appearing just to be part of the crowd

*The hotel, while only a 3 star, managed to provide a wide range of Italian and English foods. The rooms were large, with a balcony and lake-facing.

*The bed was very comfy. Usually I don't sleep well away from home, but did well on this occasion

* The gardens were beautiful, all well worth visiting.

*I was one of the few that went on the furnicular railway. I found that very good.

* On my free day, I went to the only 5 star hotel in Tremezzo (where we were based) and treated myself to a spa break. Hugely relaxing.

*The Bermina Express into Switzerland and concluding at the swish resort of St Moritz was a real highlight. Such a pity it was Sunday and must of the designer shops were closed.

CONS:

 * The fact that there were three free days at the end of the seven day vacation (unless one paid for the two optional excursions) was a bit much. I think the Monastero visit should have been in the price

* I went on the regional flight from Birmingham instead of the Heathrow flight. This turned out to be on a budget airline (FlyBe) and food had to be paid for. Despite this, Birmingham cost a lot more than Heathrow, which was Italia.

*The restaurant catered for a lot of other tour groups, some of which were quite noisy. It was like a Butlins' dining hall in the 1960's. Many would rush in at breakfast and dinner as if the food was going to run out! Fortunately, as our tables were reserved, we casually walked in.

* I think JustYou ought to age-grade their trips so that they could advise who would most appeciate each particular one, or state 'suitable for all ages*

I am glad you enjoyed your trip despite some small issues.

Just You trips are for all ages, so not sure how they can age grade them. The only thing they can provide advice is as to whether or not the trip is suitable for those with limited mobility and this can affect any age group. I chose to fly locally with EasyJet to Tel Aviv when I did the Israel trip in September 2012 and had to pay a supplement whilst if I had chosen to fly from Heathrow, I would not have had to pay a supplement and I would have been given a nice hot meal. I may be wrong, but I am presuming that Just You are able to agree a good contract with major Airlines, which in turn means lower fares, but not with regional ones hence the higher cost. Flying locally was better for me as I only live about 20 minutes away from Luton London Airport whereas I would have to travel by coach to Heathrow.

Regards

Jaya

Kezzer

Thanks for writing a review.  I know what you mean about Butlin's type dining rooms - it seems to be a trend lately having suffered with this in Croatia.

However I have to say I don't agree with age rating holidays - I don't want someone else deciding a holiday is suitable or not for me.  I will read the brochure and excursion descriptions and make my own mind up.  As someone said on another post all you need for a JY holiday is an open mind and fitness level to suit the trip you choose.  Age is just a number and I would hate to start being defined by it when choosing my holidays.

Jaya, you make some good points. When phoning to book the JY trip, I did enquire about the age range, so I knew that the travellers were older than usual. I must say, they were all very resiliant and determined to do the walking necessary.

Kezzer, with the free time, it does give the travellers space to do their own thing. However, I do think JY should have put more on the 'fixed' itinerary. The Bermina Express was an obvious optional trip though, and a highlight of the whole vacation.

Jonah, I agree that I don't want others to decide whether a vacation is suitable or not, but JY can provide a useful guide that might say 'better suited for'. The older people I was with had no qualms about age at all!

I must add a major CON to my original list that I neglected to add. The Brazzoni Hotel is definitely not suitable for disabled people, particularly for those in wheelchairs. Though there are two lifts in the oddly constructed hotel. Two sets of stairs, both five steps high have to be climbed before reaching the lift. Not only that, access to the swimming pool is not easy, with a high stepway to be negotiated in order to get there.

Best Wishes, Graham

Many thanks for your excellent review.  I've been to Como, but only briefly, from Milan on a day trip.  That is very easy to do on the train from Como Town.  In reference to the itinerary, perhaps JY ought to consider adding Milan as an optional trip? 

I nearly booked this trip a couple of years ago, but read up on Trip Advisor and saw what you have also added on the steps, both inside, and outside the hotel.  Thank you for highlighting it so that hopefully future travellers are aware of this.  🙂