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.

best of Sicily

Awesome tour guide, Tamara. Excellent food and wine. Plenty of time for touring, individual sightseeing and shopping. Great beauty in Sicily.

Sicily is a wonderful surprise

My husband and I decided to take this tour, which was our ninth Go Ahead tour, because of wonderful recommendations from friends. Overall, we enjoyed it very much. Our tour guide, Tamara, and bus driver, Salvo, were excellent, going out of their ways to ensure the tour went smoothly. Our hotel rooms were exceptional on this tour, especially in Taormina where we had full-length windows and a wrap-around balcony facing the Ionian Sea and Mt. Etna. For this review, I will offer some suggestions so that future travelers can plan accordingly. We booked our trip in February and thought it would be fairly temperate. I ended up being cold for most of the tour except for some time in Taormina. If you take this tour in the winter, I would recommend a winter coat, scarf, and boots. The dampness, combined with the 50-degree temperatures and wind and rain (one day), made for a chilly experience. Also, if you take the wonderful and highly recommended wine tasting optional, know that the home for the meal and wine tasting was unheated when we visited - so dress appropriately. The home is beautifully appointed and has an hearth which warmed us at dinner. Our tour only had ten wonderful travelers and, as a result, the optionals were only available if a certain majority would go. Luckily, our group was amenable to most of them. So there are trade-offs if you have a smaller group to consider. We did not go to the Manor House, for instance, as only two members had signed up for it. Also, be aware that in Sicily almost everything shuts down for siesta from one to five o’clock in the afternoon. For travelers, you will want to arrange your itineraries accordingly. One final point to consider also is that a few of our fellow travelers reported that at one restaurant in Syracusa they were each billed three euros for sitting down at the restaurant. We did not experience this anywhere on our tour but it may be wise to ask in the future at other restaurants if they have this charge. Overall, this was an excellent tour because of the delightful Sicilian people, ancient sites/ruins, food, and extraordinary landscapes. - Susan and Gary

A Very Happy Birthday Trip for my Sister's

Sigificant 70th birthday and a memorable one for the sisiters who went with her. Whay a way to relax and enjoy in such a beautiful place as Sicily. The weather, the views, the food all made for an exceptional holiday to remember. Taormina was indeed the highlight of the visit- its locale, its grand views, the wonderful Hotel Dorrito with individual balconies, its sumptous breakfast all made for a lovely stay.