Sicily is Great

Every thing about the trip was wonderful, Palermo should be shorter 1and a half days should be plenty. And Catania should be in tour instead . On our own we stayed on Via Etna The main drag in the City Clean gorgeous and loads of culture downtown, 4 piazza's within walking distance.Its like Newbury St Boston with all the Italian History.You should really consider it as an alternative. Thanks Ang And Lou Scala

A Very Well Run Tour

Our trip didn't get off to a great start... after a long journey we arrived at our final destination, Palermo, without one suitcase... Needless to say this caused some hardship and much concern about the rest of the tour. Long story short is we received the lost luggage before we left for the second leg of the tour largely due to the help of our wonderful GoAhead Tour guide, Carmen, who made calls and made sure the bags were tracked down and delivered to the hotel... We knew at that point that she had great control of the tour and we were in capable hands. For the most part our hotels were all in a great locations, including the one on our extended leg to Rome, with only the one in Siricusa without a shuttle or much local interesting places to visit and shop -- although it was dead in the middle of the archaeological zone that could be seen from our porch -- The hotels were either old and charming or new and comfy. The included meals were all good and the optional ones were all fantastic... The off the board Fisherman's Feast in Palermo that Carmen put together was a steady stream of delicious seafood that was well worth the Euros spent. The farewell dinner in Taromina was the icing on the cake and almost rivaled the Fisherman's one... and Carmen made sure the beer drinkers had beer in place of wine... I must note that we had a porch in three of the four hotels with only Rome's lacking one... and we were lucky in that they were nice and big ones The archaeological and cultural excursions, both included and optional, were handled very well and the guides were all extremely knowledgeable and had great personalities and humor... but they were taxing and by the last ruins, we were ready for the Taromina beach and pool and relaxation... We passed on the Mount Etna, the Hidden Sicily and wine tasting options to focus on our own time and desires and touring on our own... The Manor House lunch was charming and a great change of pace as we socialized with each other, the Countess, Carmen and Salvatore -- our great and ever so helpful and capable driver -- and the young farm dog the Countess called simply, 'Cane' (Dog) who charmed us all. The fairly small tour group was just the right size and meshed very quickly... we all bonded well right off the bat and while there were some inter-grouping, there was no signs of cliques that I could see, and that was fantastic... We were all allowed to mix and mingle at all times and given the time to do so... We selected what we believed to be just the right mix of options and free time and both joined with others as well as went off on our own to allow us to get the most of the tour. Carmen was wonderful on all counts and both entertained with her wit and educated with her knowledge... she directed us with timely suggestions and helped us with our money exchanges and in getting by among the locals as she taught us the Italian mannerisms, both verbal and visual. The bus trips at times were taxing, especially the one from Palermo to Sircusa that entailed a stop at Agrigento which made a long day... The journey proved to be a good point to sightsee out the bus windows or read... Also, we were allowed to sit on the bus where we wanted without rotating seat assignments. Sorry for this being so long... but I cannot end without some recommendations... Fisherman's Feast if offered and Manor House Lunch IMO is a must... in Siracusa try Trattoria Kalloipe in Ortigia, and in Taromina I strongly suggest you eat at Gambero Rossa (address: Via Naumachie, 11) which was recommended by a nice shop keeper, and where we were treated royally with the best food we had on our own... fantastic food at more than fair prices. On the whole I'd highly recommend this Tour and GoAhead and we plan on using them again on our next tour... we were treated well and got the best bang for the buck that could be expected.... I have attached a photo of our guide, Carmen, and driver, Salvatore, taken as our group thanked them at the Farewell Dinner.

A Wonderful Experience

This was a delightful, educational, experience. Our excellent tour director, Carmen DelGaudio, went out of her way to see to it that all of our needs were met, which is not an easy feat with a group of 31 adults. I learned so much about Sicily, and plan to return within the next few years. My only suggestion to improve this trip was to include some of the "optional excursions", such as the Erice & Segesta optional, as an "included" piece. All of our local guides, too, were excellent. And, I felt assured that Go Ahead was on top of its game before and after the trip.

tour director

Had a great time on the trip. Hotels were good. Some were a little too far from walking areas that we would have enjoyed otherwise clean, friendly and of a good quality. What made our tour excellent was our tour director Rita Belmonte She was very excellent. Her attention to detail and her concern for each person made you feel like you were a personal friend who she was showing the sites to. When anything needed to be addessed she did so in such a kind and considerate manner that you felt like you were part of a family. The tour excersions were also good but again how she handled the departures , the information concerning the buses, the guides and the days agenda enhanced the overall experience. When one of the tours we had signed up for has been canceled due to a like of numbers she was able to get us attached to another go ahead tour group and was available to insure that our attendence was well planned . It as though we were with our tour group not a beat was missed. If all of your tour directors are of her quality then I would expect all of your tours to be very good.

Memorable Trip

While each tour may be unique in its own right, depending on the place visited, this was one of the most enjoyable trips I've taken. Through our guide, Rita, and the various local guides, we got a good sense of the history and diversity of the different cultures that formed the Sicily of today. Speaking of Rita, I found her to be the best, most organized, and personable of all the guides I've known. She really helped make the trip the success it was. Salvo, our driver, was always attentive and helpful whenever needed. We had a small group, which only enhanced the experiences. The hotels were fine, with the pools at the last two a big plus on those hot, hot days! The last hotel, near Taormina, was on the beach in a a beautiful setting. Both the local and optional tours were quite interesting.The archaeological digs and ancient towns were fascinating. The food and wine were great! I learned a lot about Sicily and truly enjoyed this trip.

Best of Sicily

The tour company is well run - our tour guide - Stefania - was outstanding. She was knowledgeable, perfect English, set the tone for the group, available in the lobby after the tours. Driver, Salvatore, was excellent and always helpful for people getting off the bus. The hotels left something to be desired, people in the hotel did not speak English -hardly at all. I liked staying 3 nights in each city - not having to move often.

great trip

Excellent tour guide and driver. Great sights and history. Pressed for time connecting Rome to JFK.

You get what you pay for!

Obviously, second rate hotels,not in best part of town. Hotel in Palermo very spartan and in dirty,seedy part of town. Breakfast buffets were sparse, not enough fresh fruit. Why Siracusa? nothing there after seeing Agrigento. Should have been up in town of Taormina. guide, Stefania excellent, as well as bus driver, Salvo Most of hotel staff did not understand english.. I,ve been travelling for over 40 years, with many different tour groups and would rate this trip poorly.

Sicily: What a surprise!

Our tour of Sicily exceeded our expectations many times over. Our guide Stephania was superb. She managed our great group very well. We were able to do more than we had hoped for and her comments and discussions on the bus were looked forward to every day. Her expectations of group punctu- ality were respected and everyone benefited. The only change I would make is to make the trip longer with three free days thrown in on the last day of each of the three cilties we stayed in to allow us to do futher exploring of things we did not get to see or further enjoyment of those things that we did get to see or just to relax in those beautiful locations. I also want to commend 'Go Ahead' on providing very elegant hotel accomod-ations for the duration of the trip. I appreciate your efforts on this ! I would like to see an effort made to make the rooms provided equal in ammenities if at all possible. Some people complained of having rooms that were not equivalent to those that others got. I realize that this can happen but if it has to happen, it should not happen repeatedly to the same people, Lastly, I want to commend our driver Salvatore. His skill in driving our bus was very commendable over and over during our ten day adventure. He was very professional and very skillful in completing the task. An error on his part could dramatically change the outcome of our trip and I felt completely at ease with him at the wheel !

Best of Sicily Feedback

We had a great tour of Sicily. The Director of the tour (Tamara Hauptman) was excellent. She was open and inviting to questions and our inquiries about various sites and cultures. In addition, she was very personal and caring. Because Sicily has a long history of diverse cultures there was never a time when we did not have interest and questions. For me, because of a small disability, at times I found the walking a bite tiring but that was just a minor problem. The group was good and easy to get alone with. We had a good time with the entire group. We will definitely take another Go Head Tour.