Cotswolds Private Day Tour

Very old guy with a dirty and old car. Definitely not worth 400+ pounds for such a low quality service.

The tour was disappointing overall. The pricing was confusing, the full amount was charged before the trip, then an additional meeting point transportation fee was requested a few days before the tour, even though it was hidden in the description. The tour was also charged again on the day, and I only caught it because of my credit card notification and requested a refund. The original driver/tour guy Roy and car were good, but the driver was changed within the first hour. Both parties gave me a different story the reason to change drivers. The new driver, Nick was knowledgeable and nice. But the private tour car was old and very dirty, not even up to the standard I would expect from an Uber. At the end, he seemed rushed to get back due to traffic and even asked if we could take a bus back to the hotel. The AC was also inadequate, so the windows had to remain open for most of the six hour trip, with wind blowing on my head the entire time. Overall, the experience was far below what I expected from a $750 private half day tour. I book private tour every where I travel, by far this is the worst experience and it’s the first time I book with Viator. I will not book with Viator again.

We had a great day with Nick. He has lived in the Cotswolds his entire life and knows the best places and best way to avoid the crowds. He bent over backwards to make our day great. We arranged a pickup at our hotel which was a bit out of the way and were able to arrange it for a small additional charge

John was absolutely amazing!! We had the best day, and he was very knowledgeable!!!

We really enjoyed our Cotswolds tour, and Nick was a great guide. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and shared lots of interesting stories throughout the day that really added to the experience. The main downside was the vehicle. For a private tour, we expected a more comfortable and well-maintained car. Unfortunately, the car was quite old, the interior was worn and torn in places, and there was an unpleasant smell. Since a significant portion of the tour is spent driving between villages, this definitely took away from the overall experience and atmosphere. Nick himself was wonderful and made the day enjoyable, but the vehicle could really use an upgrade to better match the experience expected from a private tour.

We had a fun day with David P., visiting Stratford-Upon Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace and Anne Hathaway's house). He also found us some Telephone box LFLs which we mentioned would be fun to see. There was a book about the Finnish rally driver Kimi Räikkönen, which was a bit of an omen as we then noticed we might be running late for the next part of the trip, Severn Valley steam train (on that day diesel due fire risk). We chased the train through small villages and caught it at the third station, but on hindsight I think we saw more from the car which was lovely and cool, because when we got to the train it was like a steam sauna (+38C outside and even more inside) and travelled in a ditch, surrounded by bushes. David P. met up with us again at the other end and remembered we hadn't had lunch (in that heat you didn't really feel hungry). So, lunch we had and continued to Chester, which was our last pitstop for this leg of our Amazing Race. David managed to find us another LFL from Chester, before leaving us at the hotel. When you are just three people in a car for several hours, it does matter that your driver is somebody who not only drives a car, but knows the area, tells interesting stories and is flexible in changing situations.

Ryan was prompt and considerate. We traveled comfortably and Ryan’s knowledge of the area was not only impressive but he was able to quickly change the itinerary to avoid villages that were being overrun by big tour busses. We had a different tour on a small bus booked but the operator cancelled days before our scheduled tour because there weren’t enough participants. I’m so thankful this happened because we were able to experience the Cotswolds in an elevated experience that wouldn’t have been possible with a group tour.

The vehicle used to visit a town two hours away was substandard. We were never given a choice. As long time patrons of Viator, we expected, as we always had, to be picked up in a luxury vehicle, instead the guide tour showed up in a miniature car were we felt every bump on the road and had great difficulty getting out of the car due to its size - my wife and I are not large individuals.

Nick has been a truly exceptional and professional tour guide, we have seen so many more of the marvelous Cotswolds with him than any other tour I could see on other websites. So it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience with Nick. 😍🙏

This is a long day but our guide, Roy, made the experience a delightful one. There was just enough time between car rides for hiking, walking, picture taking, getting snacks. Roy was very knowledgeable about the area and gave us a wonderful history combined with enough activity to keep us from being bored. I highly recommend this tour.