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Testimonials
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Holiday: WC06 - LEVANTE RIVIERA WALKS Hi Mike I felt I had to write and thank you and the staff at Xtrallusion for all the arrangements you made that allowed us to have a fabulous short vacation at lovely Sestri Levante. We arrived in sunny weather and non of our party of 6 had been before. The resort is lovely and the Hotel full of old charm, antique furniture, exotic plants and nooks and crannies everywhere which we could not hope to fully explore in 3 days. The staff were also very friendly and ever helpfull. Your well thought out walks were fantastic and we managed to walk the full Cinque Terre walk the first day and the Black walk on the Portofino National Park the second. We also managed the final days walk from Levanto via Punta Mesco but we were well tired by the time we descended into Monterosso. It was a very kind thought of yours to provide the surprise gift of champagne for Angela's 50th birthday and the memory will last for a long time of a great evening made even better by your generosity. Once again thanks for everything and we hope to be back in the not too distant future for some more Xtrallusion adventures!! Kind regards Max Robinson. Max Robinson, Bristol, England.

Holiday: A401 - 4x4 CROSSING of the SOUTHERN ALPS Hi Mike, Sorry for the late reply but we have been on another short holiday down to London to stay with our son. We both had a wonderful time with you in Italy and would recommend your tour to anyone, you certainly have the enthusiasm for your subject (you know your Alps from your elbow). The five days we felt were just about right for the length of the tour, the accommodation and meals were first class and the only suggestion we could make would maybe be a nights camp in the mountains. Once again thanks very much for a memorable trip. Regards John & Mary Mark John & Mary Mark, Chorley, England.

Holiday: WX21 - DUKE of EDINBURGH'S AWARD HIKE Ciao! Mike As promised I have attached a few of the photos of you & the group. Sorry it took longer than I expected, but with over 1200 photos in total, it has taken a bit of time to look through them all & select the best ones. I've also been away last week completing my residential part of my award, so been quite busy the past week. I haven't looked at everybodies photos but have had a big enough selection to choose from. If later, I find any other better ones, I will forward then to you. Just send me a quick reply to let me know you got the photos ok, please. Anyway, I would just like to thank you both again on behalf of the whole group & all the staff for a truly amazing week & a fantastic experience. The scenery, people, towns, beaches & pizzas were nothing I had ever seen before, & similar for most of the other members of the group, especially the scenery & landscape. The mountains over there were completly different to what we are use to here in Scotland. Also the weather was something different & a new challenge, walking in the heat. The campsites were very good with all the facilities we required - more luxury than we are used to actually, & the fully supported vehicle you provided us throughout the walk was very much appreciated. The 2 offdays - at the pool & beach - were relaxing & made the 'holiday' part of our trip extremly enjoyable. The walk, as expected was very tough & much harder than we needed to do for our award but the sense of achievement & pride when we completed the expedition gave us all a huge boost. Thank you again for a life-changing experience & all the best in the future. Also, we were congratulated by our rector, intially who was against the trip, for our hard work fundraising & a fantastic organised trip. He also mentioned, during head boy interviews, that he had noticed a grown maturity & confidence in the Duke of Edinburgh candidates, which gave us an edge. You will be very welcome anytime in Scotland & Arbroath, you might just need to bring more warm clothes. Cheers & Grazzi, Greg J. Milne Greg J. Milne, Arbroath High School, Scotland.

Holiday: WM02 - BEIGUA REFUGE HIKE Mike I know I can speak for the others when I say we had a brilliant time. Possibly the biggest physical challenge any of us have taken on and we loved it despite being tired at the end of both days. The scenerey was truly amazing and kept me going even when I started to feel tired. The reward at the top was everything I expected and more (certainly the feast). And that pint (2) at the end was the best ever! Even beat Sean's Ben Nevis one apparently! Pisa was great and we even squeezed in a trip to Florence the day after so it was certainly an action packed holiday. I really don't think there was anymore you could of done to help us and we consider ourselves extremely lucky that you came up with us else we may never have found our way. For me air conditioning in the hotel would have been great as we were so hot at the end and the rooms were stiffling but thats us not being used to the heat. I have already put pictures of my trip on my facebook account and have received loads of feedback from friends very impressed and some jealous. The latter of which I have given you website and email address too so don't surprised if you get an enquiry or two probably from Bournemout/Dorset area soon! Are any of the pictures you took on the website as I did try to look? Thanks again for a great trip and I certainly wouldn't rule out us coming again. Tristan Tristan, Sean, Stuart & Sarah, Bournemouth, England.

Holiday: WC01 - WALKING THE CINQUE TERRE Hi Mike We absolutely loved the holiday, we really did. We dont have any good photos to forward you but I think what we most appreciated was the local knowledge. What made the Cinque Terre so lovely for us was actually staying in one of the villages and we would never have thought of staying at that hotel in Sestri but it was fine and the position was great. We loved it Thanks again Claire Claire Waxman, Cheshire, England.

Holiday: NP007 - BELLAGIO LAKESIDE HOLIDAY Hi Mike Just back from Italy last night and yes, thanks, we had a wonderful time (as usual!) Yes, weather at Lago di Como was bright and sunny, although generally fairly cool. Lago di Garda was quite a bit warmer, also very sunny, apart from one storm which passed over quickly. The two lakes, as you say, make a nice contrast, in terms of scenery - both beautiful, and each with its own particular advantages. The hotel in Bellagio was excellent - location-wise, it's just not possible to imagine anything lovelier or more atmospheric. My husband would happily have sat all day on the balcony, watching the boats coming and going at the jetties right beside the hotel! The room was a fair size, very clean and comfortable, and every member of staff with whom we spoke was friendly, welcoming and very helpful. Breakfast choice was varied and plentiful. Bellagio is definitely the best location on the lake, in terms of facilities and boat links. Some nice, low-level walks around that area, and I believe that there are also some good walks down nearer to Como itself, although we didn't get around to them on this visit. Bellagio is certainly on our 'must return' list! A couple of comments re transport links towards the Garda area, just in case you have anyone else doing this combination - We found, two years ago, that going straight on to Verona, then changing to another train up to Domegliara-S. Ambrogio was slightly cumbersome route, plus which, D-S.A. is a tiny, rural station, unmanned for much of the time, and with no taxis around. We had to walk to a nearby bar and ask the staff there to call a taxi, which took ages to arrive. An easier route from Malpensa Airport or from the Como area, we found, is to go into Milano Centrale (bus from Malpensa is only 3 euros each), then take the Venice train as far as Peschiera del Garda, from which a regular bus service goes up the east side of Lago di Garda - again, costing about 3 euros each. Thank you for all your time and patience over the arrangements - very much appreciated. Until next year, all best wishes! Janice Janice Menzies, Kincardineshire, Scotland.

Holiday: ET02 - ALPINE SPA & TRAIN to ST. MORITZ Hi Mike The holiday was superb, we have seen parts of Italy that we would never have visited thanks to your itinerary. Of note was the visit to the spa in Bormio, the day spent there was out of this world, bathing in hot spring waters whilst the snow was falling looking at the snow covered mountains, absolutely idyllic. We also took the Bernina Express over the Alps, again the views were spectacular followed by a day in St. Moritz walking around the lake. Just for your future itineraries, the visit to St Moritz was excellent but as it was on a Sunday no shops were open, which was good on my wallet - but maybe worth a mention. Finally, I would like to suggest that the last day in Varenna may be better spent in Benaggio, as we took a boat ride across the lake and spent all day there, lots more shops and different places to eat and drink. Once again I would like to thank you for a fantastic sightseeing holiday, which your organising and itinerary made very easy to follow and gave us experiences of a lifetime. I hope you find this feedback useful and I have attached a photo of the Spa which you may like to use. Thank you Chris Chris Davies, Cardiff, Wales.

Holiday: A401 - 4x4 CROSSING of the SOUTHERN ALPS Cheers Mike I had a great week and a lovely journey back via Briancon and Col de Vars. It all went a bit pear shaped with the tunnel being closed, but I took the long ferry from Le Havre to Portsmouth instead arriving home on Saturday night. I enjoyed the holiday immensely; the route, format and guiding style all worked well for me. In our initial planning we were looking for an alternative to the 'camel train' format, which wouldn't have suited us so well. Especially I found that travelling light, without the weight (and expense) of carrying full expedition gear made the driving a pleasure, rather than a chore. I liked the way that the routes, views and photo opportunities became progressively more spectacular during the week. We became totally immersed in the adventure and totally forgot which day it was! Now back at home I've had to be absolutely ruthless choosing the photos for the albums and editing the video. I've been telling everyone about the holiday, maybe even bragging a bit to my friends back home and would love to hear about any future 4x4 based holidays you can offer; on the journey back through the French Alps there appear to be many more tracks in the footsteps of Hannibal and around the world renowned 4x4 Club of the Eagles site at Val D'Isere for instance. Kind Regards Jonathan Jonathan Buckley, Newbury, England.

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Enjoy relaxed, independent walking holidays in Italy along the Italian Rivieras using self-guided itineraries. Explore the beautiful mediterranean countryside and coastal mountains by foot taking in some of the regions most famous and magnificent towns and coast - the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Genova (Genoa), Santa Margherita, Rapallo, San Fruttuoso, Camogli, Chiavari, Sestri Levante, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Monterosso al Mare, Corniglia, Portovenere, Savona, Spotorno, Noli, Finale, Alassio, Imperia, San Remo and it's national parks to name but a few.

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www.xtrallusion.com Xtrallusion Holidays info@xtrallusion.com UK 0845 0944 669 ...with local knowledge 'in the bag' World +44 1212 886044 Holidays & Adventures in Italy and on the Italian Rivieras Xtrallusion offers a selection of self-guided & escorted walking holidays in Italy.