Review for CHILE: TOP TO TOE
Service rating : The tour 'Chile Top To Toe' was purchased through Wendy Wu and the process of arranging and purchasing the tour was good. However on the ground the tour was a set of subcontracted mini tours each with a different local guide. The service was variable. The flights and transportation was of a good standard. The hotels were also good and in excellent locations (apart from one - a late substitution in Valparaiso. The local guides were variable and this can contribute considerably to the enjoyment of the experience. The ones in Atacama and Patagonia were excellent. The one in Santiago was ok although his attitude was condescending. The one in the Lake District was poor - his timekeeping resulted in long, drawn out days missing some of the key attractions. His desire to insert his own aspects to the itinerary resulted in poor decision making.
Product : Chile has some of the most spectacular natural assets - the Atacama desert and Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia ought to be on everyone's bucket lists. Both are well covered in this tour. The tour is generally well organised but is subject to local operators in the different locations which can make it seem a little disjointed. Some tweaks needed to the itinerary in Valparaiso and the Lake District
Apr 09, 2019
Review for CHILE: TOP TO TOE
Service rating : My apologies for not replying sooner
What a fantastic tour, brilliant, if like us, you like geology. Cyna our guide was excellent in the Atacama. Puerto Varas was a contrast – wet, but Christian our guide rearranged things admirably, though the weather spoilt one day. Puerto Natales was another contrast, still raining but with Hurricane force winds. Again our guide Eduardo(Ed) rearranged the schedule and we saw some fantastic scenery.
So, a marvellous trip.
However there were some problems: one couple in our party lost a suitcase on the way out, this had an n effect on the trip as a whole.
Our time in Santiago was all right, though why we had to stay a night in Valparaiso I know not. One day to visit it would have been sufficient to see what we saw, although it would have been a very long day.
The Atacama stay was split between hotels. We and 6 others went to the Cumbres, which was a fine hotel, but dangerous. We were given a room probably 400 yards away along a very rough path which tore the bottom out my suitcase. We complained, and they moved us a room near the reception. The suitcase was replaced thanks to the kind offices of Senor Victor Huerta (Genente Hotel). He did insist the hotel was rustic but thee paths are very rough and inadequately lit- potential for a broken ankle there. Otherwise a nice hotel. We also spent one night in Calama, for some reason though Cyna said it would avoid us getting up very early
Puerto Varas was nice but my wife’s credit card would not be accepted by the machine when paying the bar bill, we thought nothing of it and paid with cash. She only used the card 3 times and only at the hotels where we were staying. A few days later after we had got home it was discovered that the card had been copied. This has been resolved BUT we wonder how it was done. Did someone at the Varas hotel have a copier in the machine, which was why it wouldn’t accept it? Another member of the party also had payment refused. It is safer to use cash though that is risky.
Our trip to Puerto Natales was interrupted by the late arrival at the airport of our guide Ed, so the sightseeing at the end of that first day did not happen. A mix up with your agents there?
As said before Ed rearranged things due to poor weather. He did promise that we would dip our hands in the Straits of Magellan, (I would have liked to paddle) but this did not happen.
Our return to Santiago was marred by the chaos at the airport, Latam need to sort themselves out
The flight to Santiago, however, was highlighted by the Captain of the aircraft banking as we flew over the Torres del Paine.
The two with the missing suitcase had problems again, Latam problems, which held up our return to the hotel. We needed to get back to book our seats for the return home. All was well though, and we made it.
As usual these trips are rushed, a rest day in the middle would have been appreciated.
Perhaps my comments my help in improving the trip for others
Jim and Marion Large
Product : My apologies for not replying sooner
What a fantastic tour, brilliant, if like us, you like geology. Cyna our guide was excellent in the Atacama. Puerto Varas was a contrast – wet, but Christian our guide rearranged things admirably, though the weather spoilt one day. Puerto Natales was another contrast, still raining but with Hurricane force winds. Again our guide Eduardo(Ed) rearranged the schedule and we saw some fantastic scenery.
So, a marvellous trip.
However there were some problems: one couple in our party lost a suitcase on the way out, this had an n effect on the trip as a whole.
Our time in Santiago was all right, though why we had to stay a night in Valparaiso I know not. One day to visit it would have been sufficient to see what we saw, although it would have been a very long day.
The Atacama stay was split between hotels. We and 6 others went to the Cumbres, which was a fine hotel, but dangerous. We were given a room probably 400 yards away along a very rough path which tore the bottom out my suitcase. We complained, and they moved us a room near the reception. The suitcase was replaced thanks to the kind offices of Senor Victor Huerta (Genente Hotel). He did insist the hotel was rustic but thee paths are very rough and inadequately lit- potential for a broken ankle there. Otherwise a nice hotel. We also spent one night in Calama, for some reason though Cyna said it would avoid us getting up very early
Puerto Varas was nice but my wife’s credit card would not be accepted by the machine when paying the bar bill, we thought nothing of it and paid with cash. She only used the card 3 times and only at the hotels where we were staying. A few days later after we had got home it was discovered that the card had been copied. This has been resolved BUT we wonder how it was done. Did someone at the Varas hotel have a copier in the machine, which was why it wouldn’t accept it? Another member of the party also had payment refused. It is safer to use cash though that is risky.
Our trip to Puerto Natales was interrupted by the late arrival at the airport of our guide Ed, so the sightseeing at the end of that first day did not happen. A mix up with your agents there?
As said before Ed rearranged things due to poor weather. He did promise that we would dip our hands in the Straits of Magellan, (I would have liked to paddle) but this did not happen.
Our return to Santiago was marred by the chaos at the airport, Latam need to sort themselves out
The flight to Santiago, however, was highlighted by the Captain of the aircraft banking as we flew over the Torres del Paine.
The two with the missing suitcase had problems again, Latam problems, which held up our return to the hotel. We needed to get back to book our seats for the return home. All was well though, and we made it.
As usual these trips are rushed, a rest day in the middle would have been appreciated.
Perhaps my comments my help in improving the trip for others
Jim and Marion Large
Dec 20, 2018
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