Iconic Israel

10/06/2023

Trip Rating:

Overall, including Jordan, it was an outstanding experience. The first hotel, the Isrotel, Must be dropped from the tour. We had 3 room changes and was ready to go to the Sheraton but it was past 1 in the morning so we put up with it. Homeless people and only one person working at front desk. The most memorable experience in Israel was the old city, The tour should include Muslim sights like the Temple Mount. And Tiberius should be one night at the most. Haifa is a much better place to spend time Our free time was good. The dinner with the chef/rabbi was excellent and it was good meeting a Druze family for lunch.

Thank you for your review! We look forward to traveling with you again soon.

Collette Support

10/02/2023

Trip Rating:

I felt that the trip should have included more on Judaism . It was more of a Christian tour . Not balanced at all!!!

Thank you for your review! We look forward to traveling with you again soon.

Collette Support

08/01/2023

Trip Rating:

Each venue held memorable experienced

Thank you for your review! We look forward to traveling with you again soon.

Collette Support

04/16/2023

Trip Rating:

Overall experience of touring Israel was priceless!

Thank you for your review! We look forward to traveling with you again soon.

Collette Support

04/16/2023

Trip Rating:

Overall experience of touring Israel was priceless!

Thank you for your review! We look forward to traveling with you again soon.

Collette Support

04/15/2023

Trip Rating:

Bus was dirty We were not informed about the triple holidays and how it would affect food… I lost 6 pounds Collette messed up multiple airline tickets Overall we liked Jerusalem

Hello, thank you for sharing your experience with us regarding your tour to Israel. We have forwarded your feedback to our Traveler Relations team and the member of the team will reach out to you to discuss your specific issues and concerns. Your feedback is very important to us, we appreciate your patience as we work to resolve your issues.

Collette Support

04/15/2023

Trip Rating:

Bus was dirty We were not informed about the triple holidays and how it would affect food… I lost 6 pounds Collette messed up multiple airline tickets Overall we liked Jerusalem

Hello, thank you for sharing your experience with us regarding your tour to Israel. We have forwarded your feedback to our Traveler Relations team and the member of the team will reach out to you to discuss your specific issues and concerns. Your feedback is very important to us, we appreciate your patience as we work to resolve your issues.

Collette Support

07/18/2022

The Good and the Bad

Trip Rating:

Good was great tour guides and drivers. They found a way to get the best tour adventure out of almost every situation. Bad was the misinformation from Collette on the COVID testing arriving in Israel, the transition with border crossing Israel to Jordan and the late arrival messed up the reception, guide and initial experience that was immediately corrected by the driver and Jordan tour director on notification. Still, would recommend Collette for travel tours.
Trip Rating:

Our visit to Jerusalem was exceptional happening during the week of Ramadan, Passover and Easter. Saw so many sites and experienced exceptional events and locations with great information from locals and guides brought the center of the Holy Land to life with a feeling of understanding the changes history has brought us to today.

Hello, we would like to learn more about the misinformation shared and the transition from Israel to Jordan. If you would like to set up time with one of our customer care representatives, we would be happy to set that up for you. We appreciate you being a loyal traveler with us and hope to travel with you again soon.

Collette Support

02/18/2020

Products were interesting in all places.

Trip Rating:

The best thing about the trip was our Guide Miky Horesh. He knew his presentation very well. Very relaxed. Most of the Accomendations were nice. Also the tour Bus was clean and up to date.
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I loved the Dead Sea and also Masada.

02/17/2020

Excellent!

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Service was totally professional. Each person's interest, personality and energy level was addressed. Good humor was the rule. I will sign up for another tour and recommend it to others.
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Bus down the Golan Heights; Masada

02/17/2020

This trip was amazing.

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Everything about the trip was amazing. Both guides Miky for Israel and Ali for Jordan were outstanding in all aspects. They were patient with our many questions and displayed a great sense of humor throughout the whole trip. Food, lodging, and transportation were as great as one expects from Collette. I like the options of upgrading to economy plus in air travel.
Trip Rating:

For Israel, I can’t pick just one experience as memorable because it all was. I could not go into the Dead Sea itself but loved the option of the pool in the hotel so I could have the experience. I am sure I would have enjoyed the trip no matter what, but Miky made the historical spiritual part come alive. For Jordan, Petra and Wadi Rum, were outstanding.

12/18/2019

Trip Rating:

The guide, Shadi A Diab was excellent. He is very knowledgeable and provided us with a wealth of information. He was able to give us insight on the Jewish, Arab, and Christian situations in Israel with an even viewpoint. Our driver, Antwain was also excellent. He got us through and into places in the bus that I did not believe possible.
Trip Rating:

It was a very intense tour due to the number of sites pertaining to the life of Jesus and other historical places to see in such a short period of time. Old Jerusalem and Masada were my favorites.

12/11/2019

All hotels were good except the one In Jerusalem - it was old and not clean

Trip Rating:

Great tour guide.
Trip Rating:

Was not prepared to walk so much.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're sorry to hear you were disappointed with the accommodations in Jerusalem. Your feedback will be reviewed by our Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

12/11/2019

Local guides and transportation were very good.

Trip Rating:

Got us to places in a timely fashion so our wait times to enter churches, etc. were at a minimum. Provided much information about what we were seeing. Told us when it was safe to use a credit card. Safe drivers, clean buses. Gave us clear instructions about departure times, what we needed to take with us.
Trip Rating:

This tour provided many of the Biblical sights I had read about for many years. Now I have a mental picture of many places when I study the Bible. The whisper used in Israel was very helpful. It would have been useful in Jordan, also, but I understand that was provided by the bus company. Israel: the Garden Tomb, Masada. Jordan: Petra, Wadi Rum and the camel ride. Hard to choose one experience.

12/10/2019

This was my last trip with Collette.

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Quit doing everything on the cheap. Food and accommodations were simply unacceptable. the only reason I gave a star at all was because the guides were okay.
Trip Rating:

Quit doing everything on the cheap. Food and accommodations were simply unacceptable. the only reason I gave a star at all was because the guides were okay.

Dear Sir, I am personally very sorry for your dissatisfaction. I have spoken with your agent and consulted with numerous parties here at Collette as well as vendors. Yesterday I put a letter in the mail to you addressing the issues. Please feel free to contact me personally at any time to discuss further. - Brett Walker, GM.

Collette Support

12/08/2019

Trip Rating:

1) Professionalism and organizational skills of guides. 2) Quality of air transportation, lodging, and meals
Trip Rating:

Sea of Galilee, Masada, Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, and Petra

12/08/2019

Excellent tour

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Excellent tour and tour guide. Shadi was great. Very informative, educational and able to adapt to the needs of the group.
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Excellent agenda and sites. Really enjoyed the Jerusalem walking tour at night. Really enjoyed seeing the old city at night when all of the tourists were back at the hotels.

12/08/2019

Great Trip... exactly what I wanted and expected

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Great Tour Guides. Hotels and service was excellent...Staff was always accommodating. Security was good.
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The Garden Tomb and the Holocaust Museum were my most memorable experiences

12/08/2019

Powerful Experience!

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All of our needs were met in a timely fashion. The travel coach was sparkling clean and very comfortable. Employees provided impeccable service.
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The tour guide and bus driver provided an exemplary experience with their professionalism.

12/01/2019

Customer service needs improvement.

Trip Rating:

We have traveled with Collette twice in 2019....perhaps for the last time. We take two or three international trips a year. We make our travel company decisions based mainly on the itinerary. Collettes' itineraries are quite good. Their customer service not so much. Our trip leader was quite knowledgeable but a less than stellar communicator. He was a lecturer not an idea exchanger. The 'fire hose' approach to information provision results in less retention with little or no chance to learn. Once checked into our hotels, he essentially disappeared. He was not available. I misplaced my cell phone and went to the desk at one of our hotels and asked the clerk to call the trip leaders room for me. They did not recognize his name as one of their guests. I assured the clerk he was, in fact, the Collette trip leader. The clerk made a phone call and then informed me that Collette had no employee by that name. I I cannot verify that the call was made to Collette.) In any case, when I brought this up to our leader (BJ), he dismissed the matter. I inquired as to what would happen in an emergency. He said the hotel would call emergency services. WHAT!? I explained that the tour company should always be in a position to be directly involved in any emergency to befall one of its tour guests. It looks to me that some training should be provided to Collette's employees.
Trip Rating:

Aside from a problematic tour leader, the travel arrangements were awful. We made our reservation with Collette more than three months in advance. We made our airplane seating requests/requirements abundantly clear. On one of our flight legs we were assigned middle seats in different rows. That is totally unacceptable.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're very sorry to hear you had a disappointing experience on tour. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.

Collette Support

12/01/2019

We may never use Collette again.

Trip Rating:

Our trip leader was essentially 'unavailable'i during the trip. A simple solution would be for him to share his cell phone number when on tour. One of our tour members was separated from the group. She received assistance from a vendor in Old Jerusalem. This helpful person had to call the tour hotel who called Collette who called the vendor who called the trip leader. All of that was unnecessary if the tour group had the leaders phone number. We purchased our air travel through Collette. On one of the legs of our flights, my husband and I were not even in the same row. We were given middle seats in separate rows. This, in spite of our making the reservations more than three months in advance. And, being very explicit in our preferred seating arrangements on our flights. That is completely unacceptable!
Trip Rating:

The trip to Masada was memorable.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're very sorry to hear you had a disappointing experience on tour. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.

Collette Support

12/01/2019

Iconic Israel

Trip Rating:

Great tour guide,hotels and food.We would travel with Collette again.
Trip Rating:

Great tour guide and bus driver.We learned a lot about the Holy Land and Israel.

11/22/2019

I won't travel with Collette again.

Trip Rating:

Most of the hotels we stayed in were second rate. Our entire group moved hotels in Jerusalem because of the quality of the one where we were first booked into. The only really decent hotel was the Marriott in Amman. That was the quality we had been looking for the entire trip and unfortunately, that was one of the last nights. Every "included" meal was horrible other than the last one in Jerusalem. We were only a group of 14 and could have easily been accommodated in any decent restaurant but instead were taken to buffet style places or places where they "slapped" the mediocre food down in front of you. There were always dozens of other large tour groups in these places. Israel is known for it's great food especially in Tel Aviv. You would never have known that by what this tour included. Our best experiences and best food were in places we sought out ourselves. On the plus side - our guide was wonderful - very informative. We learned a lot about the country through him.
Trip Rating:

See above comments. Favorite memorable experiences were the night show in Jerusalem and a dinner - both of which we booked ourselves.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. I am personally very sorry for your dissatisfaction. I have spoken with your agent and consulted with numerous parties here at Collette as well as vendors. Yesterday I put a letter in the mail to you addressing the issues. Please feel free to contact me personally at any time to discuss further. - Brett Walker, GM.

Collette Support

11/22/2019

The trip was well planned out.

Trip Rating:

The places we went to we enjoyed in Israel. Everyday was packed with activities. Most of the hotels were very good. We did not like the Dan Boutique Jerusalem Hotel. The room and bathroom were too small for two people. The other issue we did not care for was how the lunches were handled on the days we paid for them. Our tour guide picked them out and they were expensive. We thought we would be able to pick out our own. Also, we thought we would be able to use our credit card more than we were able to.
Trip Rating:

We liked Masada, Sea of Galilee, the Garden Tomb and St Ann’s church.

11/21/2019

Trip Rating:

Hotels were not particularly nice except for the hotel we stayed in in Tel Aviv. The others had extremely small rooms and not many amenities. Collette is supposed to be one of the top tier tour companies but it did not seem so on this trip. The food was pretty mediocre except for the meals we had on our own when we could pick the restaurants. We had heard the food in Israel was wonderful but that was not so based on the places collette took us. The tour was also very packed and we always felt like we were rushing from place to place because we had to see everything. Would have liked to have heard more Jewish history and seen some more synagogues. We felt trip focused on a lot of Christian aspects which was fine, but it could have been more balanced. The guide was very knowledgeable
Trip Rating:

Masada, the light show and the wailing wall

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced on tour. Your feedback will be reviewed by our Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

11/21/2019

The experience exceeded my expectations. Our guide was outstanding.

Trip Rating:

Our guide was outstanding and the added surprise of visiting the river Jordan was delightful. The hotels were fine except for the last one in Jerusalem. The room was shabby and housecleaning was subpar. I have traveled with Collette before and will continue to use them in my future travels.
Trip Rating:

Masada and the river Jordan.

11/21/2019

Paperwork and phone support were great.

Trip Rating:

Paperwork and phone support were great.
Trip Rating:

The destination and tours were great as was our guide. However we were a small, private group of only 14 and the tour did not adjust for that and took us to restaurants for the masses instead of finding nice, intimate spots for our small group. The food and restaurants were very disappointing. We would have preferred more upscale accomodations as some were very disappointing.

11/21/2019

Itinerary was excellent, but our tour guide made the trip.

Trip Rating:

Itinerary was excellent, but our tour guide made the trip. Airline routing very, very poor. Not appropriate to have seniors travelling for 36 hours. Food on your own was poorly planned when on the road, and also in Jerusalem on the Sabbath and Sunday when nothing is open. Our tour guide found us places. Pre planning poor - not told we would receive paper visas that needed to be kept. Some threw them away not knowing what they were for.
Trip Rating:

Loved the boat on the Sea of Galilee and floating in the Dead Sea. Also Jerusalem following Christ's journey was a highlight.

11/21/2019

Amazing history sites well worth experiencing

Trip Rating:

Overall tour well done, packing in lots to see, but most of the sites were very worthwhile. Guide was quite knowledgeable, actually went into too much detail at times. Hotels were good to very good. Food was good, but too many buffets, which is fine for lunch but not at dinner.
Trip Rating:

We experienced a lot of sites, which were so amazing. Jerusalem, Masada, and Dead Sea were outstanding.

11/21/2019

Trip Rating:

- The selection of Nazarene Tours was good, and our Tour Manager was excellent! (Farah). His knowledge of the area, scriptures, & Catholic beliefs was very informative. Our driver was also very good.(Paulos) - The last hotel was not good, Dan Boutique in Jerusalem. It was the one we stayed in for 4 nights, but the rooms were the worst of the 4 hotels. Rooms were the smallest, no gift shop. The lobby, bar & restaurant were nice, but upstairs the halls were dark, & carpet in the halls and rooms seemed dirty. We had no view, and the windows were tiny. - Two of the 3 optional tours were cancelled due to a lack of people, which was very disappointing, especially since there were other Collette tours there at the same time. - Hardly had any time to ourselves for shopping. Instead of a whole day to ourselves, we had 1/2 day. Maybe an additional day would have allowed time to see more of the the Israel Museum, as we only had time to see the Dead Sea Scrolls inside. Also, would have allowed more time or shopping. There was so much to see, & the pace was tough. - Overall, the tour was good, but even with good hiking shoes, my feet hurt from all the standing in addition to the walking.
Trip Rating:

The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was my favorite memory.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the hotel in Jerusalem and with the pace of the itinerary. Your feedback will be reviewed by our Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

11/21/2019

Watch out for lack of communication!

Trip Rating:

Much better coordination and communication with Brighton Travel, Brighton, MI in particular with regard to airline flights, upgrades, pricing. It was a HUGE mess!
Trip Rating:

Too many crowds and more focused on Eastern Religions rather than traditional Christianity and the Scriptures.

Thank you for the additional feedback. We recommended contacting your travel agent because you mentioned communication issues with the travel agency. You also did not purchase your airfare through Collette, so we would not have been involved with booking your air schedule.

Collette Support

11/17/2019

Trip Rating:

We had a few "glitches" along the way. 4 is a great rating, and everyone can learn from and improve, before reaching a 5 star rating. Meredith was terrific!!
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Jerusalem

10/23/2019

Top Tour

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very good service from start to finish. Excellent and easy booking, from then on taxi etc all great.
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Fantastic tour of ll the places I wanted to visit.

10/20/2019

Trip Rating:

The guide in Israel and Jordan turned out to be a gift from heaven. They were flexible for the departure time in the morning and everyone without fail appreciated this small gesture. They were patient with the travellers and went out of their way to facilitate the never ending demands during the trip. e.g. bathroom stops, keeping the group together when surrounded with hundreds of tourists.
Trip Rating:

The historical and religious sites were a memorable and pleasant experience. The truck ride in the desert, a swim in the Dead Sea, old Jerusalem and all the other sites we visited is an experience of a lifetime.

10/20/2019

Trip Rating:

The guide in Israel and Jordan were both receptive and thoughtful to our demands and both were extremely knowledgeable. As seniors, we needed more time in the morning after breakfast and a delay of our departure time by one half hour was necessary and very much appreciated.
Trip Rating:

A memorable tour and no regrets visiting both countries. The historical sites, the meals, hotels (with one exception) were first class. I particularly enjoyed Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. One sour note however, the time spent between meals especially in Jordan was far too long.

10/20/2019

Expected a tour mgr. and local expert guides. Group too large.

Trip Rating:

Airport greeter/guide was very helpful. Service with luggage also very good. Walking distances and expectations as described by guide were spot on. Most sites were given adequate time to explore.
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Jerusalem sites, markets, Western Wall. Every corner of Petra was fascinating and beautiful.

10/15/2019

Not what we expected and we were disappointed!

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We were disappointed in meals. People got sick on the trip. We did not receive the service we were less to believe we would.
Trip Rating:

Our hotels left something to be desired and the food was not very good. Our experiences were not very meaningful when you Go to Israel in the holy land you expect to have a biblical point of you and see and hear about the different places that Jesus was and we were very disappointed in the information that was provided by our tour guide and very disappointed in the sites that we saw they were lacking much history

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced on tour. Your feedback will be reviewed internally and with our ground operator in Israel so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

10/09/2019

Nice tour service for a first time tour attendee.

Trip Rating:

The pace of the tour was very good and the number of typical sites that we visited was good. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable in sharing the history of the sites we visited. Hotels selected were decent and adequate but not great. Food service at hotels was the best part; room in Jerusalem was just OK.
Trip Rating:

Our room accommodation is Jerusalem was below average being both dark and dingy with carpeting that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in 10 years. Hotel staff made up for it as they were very friendly and helpful. Food was very good also. The tour had a very good selection of tourist sites that we stopped at and although the pace was fast, I never felt rushed at any of the sites. Our tour guide was outstanding, and the bus driver was amazing!

10/08/2019

it was mislabeled. Didn’t equally portray the Jewish side.

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Driver was good. Tour guide was knowledgeable yet very political. His ideology had no place on the tour.
Trip Rating:

Grueling. Up every day at 6am, arrive back to hotel by 6. The Dead Sea was incredible. It’s unfortunate we were only given one half hour to check it out as we arrived at the hotel very late in the afternoon.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced on tour with us. Your comments will be reviewed with our ground operator in Israel to ensure the overall touring experience for our guests continues to be improved upon.

Collette Support

10/07/2019

Iconic Israel is Incredible !

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Great trip for the money! Saw everything ! Very knowledgeable guide! Was more physical than expected with all the walking......but a wonderful trip !
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The Sea of Galilee is a wealth of educational and spiritual development

10/01/2019

Great Trip.

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Inspirational trip. Learned a lot of history and cover the Holy Land well. Tour Guide was excellent.
Trip Rating:

Had no tour manager. 43 people was too many for the tour guide to try to do both jobs. Need better communications at arrival hotel and on departure transfers. Fantastic places to see in Israel. Well done itinerary and tour guide. Need better planning at Petra. Left hotel at 0830 for Petra and departed Petra at 1330. Way too short for such an important site. Petra was a major reason for visiting Jordan.

Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Iconic Israel tour. We're happy to hear you enjoyed your tour. Your comments on the communication issues and time spent in Petra will be reviewed by our internal department managers so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.

Collette Support

10/01/2019

Trip Rating:

US service was helpful. When we first called it was a black Friday sale. They could not get us into Jordan for the time we first booked. They did work the dates to get us into Jordan and did honor the black Friday sale price. Israel tour guide was great but there should be a tour manager with the local tour guide. The local tour guide had both the tour manager job and the local guide position. It was not fair for one person to handle 43 people. He did need training on the first day, People went to hotel and there was not information on where and when he would appear. It would be helpful to have a information sheet at the hotel to assure the traveler that he would be there and that dinner will take place. There were a lot of people that were very stressed because they did not know what was going on. The front desk at the hotel was also stressed because they had no information for us. Collette should also give guidance in the book on the tipping when you have a local guide acting on both positions (tour manager and local guide). Jordan tour guide had great knowledge but only worked half a day. I feel that we were cheated time at Petra. We should of had 3 more hours at the site to explore the ruins and the museum. We had enough time to walk down with tour guide and view sites, take a rest break, walk out, do a very little quick shopping and leave. We missed the opportunity to visit the museum. Tour guide was in a hurry to get us back to hotel so we could go back to swim. He was dropped off in Petra City both times and did not take us to hotel. It seemed like he had a big date in Petra and not concerned with the travelers. Feel people should be given the option of staying longer if they did not want to swim. Very disappointed in the time limit in Petra. Departure transfer to the airport was vey stressful. People sat there wondering if they would be picked up and what time. There should be a paper given to travelers to assure them they will be picked up at this time. The Smile guides at the airports when we arrived and departed were wonderful. They helped us through customs and helped us check in and guided us through the airport. That was wonderful.
Trip Rating:

The history lesson we received was wonderful. The beautiful places were amazing.

09/30/2019

Acceptable but needs work.

Trip Rating:

Guide was super. Hotels was so so. Some very good others no so good. The pick up service at the airport was not that good.
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Great tour guide. Hotels so so.

09/29/2019

Rocky Start Very Good Afterward

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Confusion at the Tel Aviv airport (Name not on the list) all went well afterwards and we had a great time.
Trip Rating:

Our tour guide Rami was simply fantastic!

09/29/2019

The tour missed the Jewish side of Israel—how is that possible?

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This tour was listed as iconic Israel, however it neglected the Important Jewish features like the Wailing/Western wall and the Holocaust museum and more. Guide was knowledgeable but skewed tours to his religious and political preferences.
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Hotels were sub-par, food was terrible. The hotel restaurant jam packed the dining tables making it extremely difficult to move sideways or back. The seats overlapped the settings. Staff was rude. Food was the same day in and day out. Even off site dining was overcrowded and food was bland at best. We had to ask the guide about visiting the Wailing/Western wall and were told it was an optional tour. I had to show him Collette’s itinerary so he could see it was listed on the 09/11 schedule. I was then told his itinerary was different.

09/22/2019

Great Trip

Trip Rating:

Our tour guide was excellent.
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My favorite experiences were sailing on the Sea of Gallilee and visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

09/22/2019

Well organized, excellent guide, everything on time, good hotels, good food

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The tour manager was very professional, the information he provided was very valuable and detailed, transportation clean and good diver very helpful One hotel had leakiy shower. Would have preferred more Jewish food and some Jewish experience rather than middle eastern food all the time.,and no contact with Jewish people. The extra excursions were very expensive for the value e
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Very pleasant experience specially at Masada and Dead Sea.

06/20/2019

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Tour was well organized. I love being picked up from the house.
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I think the pace of the tour was a bit much for the weather. It was too hot for much of the information that the tour director tried to relay in the areas where there was no shade. I loved the dead sea experience.

06/10/2019

Outstanding time with great people and well thought out itinerary.

Trip Rating:

From home to home everything was thought of. Transportation to the airport and return, to great guides and bus drivers during our tour. The little things you do not expect like someone to meet you and walk you through airline check in and security at the airport in Tel Aviv as we were leaving to come home.
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Wonderful time walking where Jesus walked seeing where Moses saw the promised land.

06/08/2019

Improvements Needed

Trip Rating:

Both tour guide managers were excellent. However on the Israel tour had way to many people. We were very upset about the last day we spent in Tel Aviv, because our plane did not leave for the airport until 8:30 PM, we had to make a decision to checkout at 12 noon or pay extra to stay until 6:00 PM which we did at $125.00 out of our pocket. This we believe should have been covered in the tour package since we booked everything through Collette.
Trip Rating:

The tours of all the biblical sites were great also the Roman sites. The Dead Sea was astonishing. The food was excellent in all places except one. In Jordan again the Roman ruins and biblical sites were great and Petra was astonishing. MT. Nebo, the Mosaics were outstanding and the school of Mosaics was great.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel and Jordan. We're sorry to hear about the extra expense you incurred on departure day. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your comments.

Collette Support

05/06/2019

Trip Rating:

Guide was superb. Hotel meals became monotous by week's end. But food. Was fresh and plentiful.
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Masada was our favorite outing...

05/06/2019

Wonderful Holy Land Experience

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Had a wonderful experience. All went well. Excellent guide. Excellent hotels. Good food. Overwhelming experience! Highly recommend this trip!
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Wonderful experience! Loved seeing all the Holy sites in and around Jerusalem. Made the Bible come alive for me.

05/05/2019

Very pleased

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We were extremely pleased with the tour guide. He was friendly, personable, and very informative. He made the ancient sites come alive. The trip stops were for hte most part very well planned. The hotels were top notch.
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The tour guide made the trip. He was personable and his depth of knowledge made the ancient sites come alive.

04/28/2019

Trip Rating:

Delivered what you sold, professional, on time, best thing...no surprises. RD
Trip Rating:

Mazada, Dead Sea, a green Galilee and Jerusalem... awesome

04/27/2019

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We had to take our bags to the bus, off the bus ourselves; for the price we paid I would expect the portage paid by Collette.
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I have expected more information about Israel development as a state.

04/14/2019

Will not travel with Collette in the future.

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Transfer to hotel in Israel did not show on time. It was only after calling their emergency number, being on hold for 20+ minutes and finally encountering help in the airport that our ride showed up. He had been contacted by Collette only 10 minutes prior to his arrival. Also, transfer from Detroit airport to home did not meet us at baggage pickup. Fortunately, my friend knew where the Metro Car kiosk was located. Sure enough, they had us on their reservation list but, no driver had been assigned to meet us. Time from baggage pickup to ride home was 40+ minutes. Tour guide in Israel was mediocre. His mode of operation was to provide brief info and then assign a time and place for the group to meet up again. Trip to Jericho consisted of lunch in the city. Absolutely no info was offered about the city. Hotels were average, certainly not what I would consider to be 4-5 stars. Accommodations were average.
Trip Rating:

Tour was average. See previous comments. Favorite memorable experience was time spent in old Jerusalem on my own.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.

Collette Support

03/26/2019

Want direct flights from a U.S. city

Trip Rating:

Fights in the U.S. were ok-I have several issues with United and I will be writing to them. In Europe, our connection was not good in Munich. It was less than an hour. People were at the gate telling us to run to next gate, we made it on, but of course, not our luggage. You could of known that would happen. From the time we left our houses until we got out luggage was 3 days. We learned others on the trip had direct flights to Tel Aviv from the U.S. Why didn't we?
Trip Rating:

Wonderful, informative tour guides and drivers. Bus in Israel was clean and good WIFI. Bus in Jordan older, dirty windows that couldn't be cleaned, cigarette butts in tray. Trip should be listed as moderate to hard. We walked 5 miles one day and 8 miles the next in Jordan. Hotels very expensive. We usually got in late and left early, so no chance to enjoy or even see what the hotel had to offer. Too expensive for us to even eat there, so driven miles to another place. Look into hotels that are more reasonable.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. Your feedback regarding the flight schedules and the hotels will be reviewed by our Air and Product Design Teams in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

03/24/2019

Excellent Tour, Unbearable tour guide

Trip Rating:

Organized, on time, solid hotels (one excellent) good food (two poor ones, two excellent) nice clean bus, solid tour agenda, great bus driver, inteliigent and informed guide but he was also a mysoginist, vindictive, arrogant and rude.
Trip Rating:

Masada, the time there was incredible.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. Your comments on your tour guide will be reviewed by the Tour Management Department in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

03/24/2019

Trip Rating:

Well organized, well paced tour. Transfers went smoothly.
Trip Rating:

Saw amazing sites. It was a larger group than I like (39-40 people). Excellent tour bus driver. Would have liked more historical background info from guide. Great meals abd hotel accommodations. Many memorable experiences. One of my favorite experiences invilved our guide getting us to the Jordan River baptismal area early enough in the morning that we were the only group there.

03/19/2019

It was great.

Trip Rating:

It was a great trip.
Trip Rating:

All sites were wonderful.

03/19/2019

A great travel adventure.

Trip Rating:

We loved the entire trip. Bruce and Barbara Wolhert were the very best. Everything was done exxactly as planned. From the minute we left to the time we got back. Our bags were always taken care of properly. The hotels where we stayed were great. Miky, our tour guide, was always prepared and always on time. The bus driver was super good.
Trip Rating:

My favorite place was Massada. Mostly because of the discovery by the intruders of the self imposed death of the soldiers. Also, in the town of Beit She'an National Park.

03/18/2019

Trip Rating:

The tour seemed flawless
Trip Rating:

Beautifully orchestrated tour

03/17/2019

Amazing trip to Israel!

Trip Rating:

I loved getting the travel documents in the nice book with the zippered cover. It showed the quality of their company. But the best part was our tour guide in Israel, Micki. He was a wealth of knowledge and helped us to understand what we were seeing. Micki was obviously well respected by other tour guides as he was sought out by others wanting to say, hello and have a short chat. He also was able to arrange our various tours on the fly. Really great trip that went really smooth.
Trip Rating:

Every day was exciting. I really enjoyed the Sea of Galilee and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

03/04/2019

Awesome

Trip Rating:

Reasonable pricing, bus driver was on time to pick us up to begin the trip, Collette planned the trip extremely well
Trip Rating:

Such a memorable trip...loved seeing places from the Bible, special to actually be where Christ physically lived, especially the Sea of Galilee

03/01/2019

great tour guide and schedule each day

Trip Rating:

highly recommend them as they provide excellent care and cover details well
Trip Rating:

the tour covered so many sites but my favorite is all the holy sites and knowing you are walking where Jusus walked and taught very spiritual experience!!

02/25/2019

Trip Rating:

All aspects of the trip in Israel were amazing and beyond anything I could have imagined. Our tour guide was completely knowledgeable, friendly, funny, compassionate and patient. I honestly cannot imagine having taken this trip without him. The itinerary was packed and we most definitely made the most of time in Israel. The only sour notes were our transportation arrangements from Athens to Nashville, both coming and going, I'm assuming arranged with local vendors. We were picked up at 3am on a VERY cold January morning. The bus was freezing cold and parts of the bus were squeaking the entire way there. It was not a great way to start the trip. When we arrived back in Nashvile at the end of our trip, our flight was delayed, so we were 2 hours later than expected arriving. It was nearly Midnight and the airport was deserted. Our group leader had to call Collette because there was no one there to pick us up to take us to Athens. After several calls, it turns out our bus driver was parked in the bus parking lot and refused to move his bus to come pick us up at the door outside the baggage area. So at Midnight, after nearly 24 hours of travelling, in a howling wind and temperatures well below freezing, all 25 of us drug our luggage and bags through a deserted parking lot and through a construction zone to get on our bus to go to Athens. Getting on the bus, it was obvious that the driver had been sitting on the bus smoking for the 2 hour delay, because the bus reaked of smoke. For the entire ride home, the bus was either freezing or burning us out - no comfortable happy medium. So, even though the Isreal part of the trip was amazing and wonderful, the start and end to our trip was miserable. You might want to search for better transportation vendors in the North Alabama/Southern Tennessee area.
Trip Rating:

It was the trip of a lifetime!!

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. Your feedback on the hometown pickup vendor will be reviewed by our Logistics Team in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

02/25/2019

The trip of a lifetime!

Trip Rating:

I traveled with a local group. Collette's representative held informational and pre-travel meetings which helped me plan for the trip. I called customer service on one occasion and was pleased with the customer service rep's response.
Trip Rating:

The trip was well organized which allowed our group to see many sites during our trip. Can't say enough about our tour guide, Billy! He was very knowledgeable and personable. He was extremely accommodating to our group, providing all of our "needs" and many of our "wants". A favorite experience was an optional jeep excursion through the Judean Desert to see the Mar Saba Monastery and then on to Genesis Land. Such a fun day! I think the optional Jerusalem by Night was a little pricey for the experience. Would definitely recommend this trip!!!

02/24/2019

Trip Rating:

The air line connections were too short in London causing us to nearly miss our plane twice. Our baggage was not handled for us at any hotel which is expected and a standard. Our hotels were definitely not four or five star particularly in Jerusalem.
Trip Rating:

Airline connections were way too short in London. Our baggage was not handled at any hotel. The hotels were. Let up to standard especially in Jerusalem.

02/24/2019

Great Vacation !

Trip Rating:

A great tour, inspirational guide, fine hotels. Really enjoyed it !
Trip Rating:

Great Tour, fitted a lot into 7 days. Fine travelling companions, superb witty & caring tour leader. To see in real life sites you've only covered on TV, the Wailing Wall, Old Jerusalem etc.

01/22/2019

Iconic Israel tour review

Trip Rating:

I would give the groups department a 5 Star rating for their service, Heather Raposa specifically! She was always very helpful and responsive to any questions I had. If you are talking about the service on our tour, I would not give such a high mark. This question was too general to really give an accurate rating.
Trip Rating:

Our guide was not very concerned about the people on the tour and would take any opportunity to leave the group to get a smoke or coffee. When we would make a stop at a site, he would get off the bus and walk away without checking that the whole group knew where he was going. We had to rely on the others in our group to wave hats in the air to see where they were at. One time we actually lost one person and the guide had to leave us to find her, it turns out she went left when the rest of the group had gone right. She had a cane and was usually the last to get off the bus so the group was long gone when she left the bus. On our day off from the tour, our guide never suggested things to do, he just said we could relax at the hotel. Luckily I had been on this same tour, which I loved last time, so I knew things that we could go and visit that weren't on the tour or we didn't have time to do on tour. There were so many things that weren't good but that was the guides fault and I understand that he is no longer with Collette after this. I have alway enjoyed previous Collette tours and I would go on them again but if this was our first experience I don't think I would come back.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. This feedback will be shared with our internal department managers so that the necessary steps can be taken to improve the overall tour experience for our guests.

Collette Support

01/18/2019

Colette did not appear to be concerned about the problems we had.

Trip Rating:

The first leg of our trip to Israel US was canceled By British Airways. Initially, there was no reassurance that a similar flight could be book and intially, there was uncertainty as to how soon a new flight could be booked. We were first told we would be leaving the following day but after re-arranging things, were were booked on a flight we had no choice about and and did not have the upgraded seats we paid a substantial sum for. We paid for an upgrade because of the length of the flight, my husband is a large man, and we are both seniors and we have some health issues. We have yet to receive a refund from British Airways for the additional money we paid and service we did not receive. Colette reps told us that Colette would take care of this and make sure we received a refund. Friday, January 18, 2019 marks three months with no further word from Colette other than this email. The change in flights also required a longer layover at London Heathrow and increased our travel time. I had no sleep for over 24 hours as a result. We also missed the first night of our tour because of the change in flights. It was my understanding Colette was going to reimburse us for that. I think we may have received notice that of the possibility of a small voucher toward another trip. Because of the travel issues, we less than 4 hours of sleep after arriving in Tel Aviv before we needed to be ready to board a bus. It took us several days to recover, and in fact, my husband became ill toward the end of our tour to the point that he was in bed for over 24 hours before we finally left. We really were made to feel as if no one at Colette was at all concerned about the inconveniences that affected our trip. In addition, the insurance coverage we paid for was misrepresented to us. We were told there was coverage if we needed to cancel for any reason. When the airline canceled, we were told the insurance would not apply. I still don't understand why we could not have received a full refund if we were not satisfied with the substitute flight arrangements, since you were able to book us on another flight, albeit an inferior one. We thought that was quite unfair, as we did not cancel cancel the trip and we were not consulted about the alternative arrangements before they were made. In addition, we were promised returned telephone call which were never made. This is the first we are hearing from Colette in three months. I probably should not have awarded 3 stars - the only reason I did so was that I did enjoy many of the sights in the Holy Land, but still have bad feelings about the trip and not very positive feelings about Colette. I would like to return to Israel under better circumstances, but my husband's feeling about the trip are so negative, he is not interested. He's also quite vocal about his dissatisfaction when people ask him about the trip. How about if you keep your promise to make arrangements for the refund of our payment for the upgraded seats we did not get?
Trip Rating:

We enjoyed most of the sights. The Garden of Gethsemane stands out, as does The Masada. We were tired because of the problems with travel arrangements, so were not able to enjoy things as much as we could have.

01/18/2019

After a rough start, the trip went well.

Trip Rating:

Our first two connecting flights were cancelled, and we had to reschedule flights so the first couple of days were rough. Because of this we had to get a hotel for a few hours. We were reimbursed less than 50%. I paid for an extra event that was cancelled. I still haven't been reimbursed. The rest of the trip was informative and went pretty smoothly.
Trip Rating:

The trip was expensive, especially since I didn't have a room mate.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. The Travel Delay benefit of our travel insurance does have a maximum benefit of $100 per person per day for hotel expenses. According to our notes, the optional tour Genesis Land: Ancient Hebrew Hospitality and Abraham's Feast was refunded back to your credit card November 21st, 2018.

Collette Support

11/25/2018

Trip Rating:

I have written a long evaluation that has been sent to Collette.
Trip Rating:

Comments already mailed in.

Thank you for your comments. We have left you a voicemail asking you to reach out and review your feedback.

Collette Support

11/12/2018

Trip Rating:

I sent a lengthy email on Oct 31 regarding this trip. I called and spoke with Ryan in customer service on Nov 6. I received a call from Amanda in customer service on Nov 8 and was told they will speak with a supervisor. As I told Ryan, it would have been nice to have at least responded that they initially received my email
Trip Rating:

Due to the inefficiency of our tour guide, we missed some sights that should have been included in the itinerary including and especially Temple Mount. Also, would have liked to have had our lunch on our own as stated in itinerary instead of being taken to a restaurant of his choice.

07/07/2018

An excellent holiday which exceeded expectations.

Trip Rating:

Very good administration and organisation.
Trip Rating:

I would recommend this tour to anyone. A fascinating series of locations. The holiday exceeded expectations.

07/01/2018

Guides were fantastic, coordination by Collette was not

Trip Rating:

We purchased extra pre- nights and were told we would not have to change room, but that didn't happen and it was very poorly handled. We had several conversations about the carry-on luggage having to be specific size to fit overhead or under the seat, but the bus wouldn't accommodate anything overhead but a hat or perhaps a briefcase, definitely not a carryon so the new luggage we purchase was a waste of money. In addition if you didn't have that size luggage the tour guys wouldn't handle it, didn't matter they didn't handle it anyway and half the trip they didn't handle our regular luggage as defined in the tour book. We booked two optional excursions, but not enough people signed up so they were canceled, no problem that was a condition prior to booking, but we never received our credit back so I wrote to them a week after we returned, no response, then I called them and after another week it finally came through.
Trip Rating:

read #1 there is more but tired of complaining

Thank you for your feedback. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to you.

Collette Support

07/01/2018

Trip Rating:

The bookin process was easy, efficient and personable. I have marked Collette down as my home pick up did not arrive as planned and I have not had a reply to my email about this or a response to my concerns about the return journey
Trip Rating:

The content was exactly as booked and we enjoyed each day of the tour. Days were occasionally too packed - slightly less content with an earlier finish to the day might be better. The starts were very early but this meant we avoided crowds so this was beneficial. There seems to be no actual control from Collette whilst on the tour as it is sub-contracted to Nazrene Tours....I don't feel their level of operation is what I expected from Colette. Our tour manager was distinctly lacking in any of the niceties of service. He was clearly unhappy when we wanted a day to skip part of the day and spend an afternoon doing our own thing. He demanded silence on the coach whilst he was commentating and continally harried the group at the end of visits to sights so that even buying a drink or a postcard had to be done at a run or missed completely. Other than telling us about what we were visting he added no value to the tour. The hotels in the Dead Sea and Tel Aviv were excellent. The hotel in Tiberous was acceptable but the Jerusalem hotel was appalling.

06/03/2018

The trip was as advertised.

Trip Rating:

Well organized; well managed; the group size was a little large (40) -- probably should be 30-35 at the most.
Trip Rating:

We saw what we wanted to see. Petra in Jordan was the highlight of the trip.

06/03/2018

Amazing time in Israel.

Trip Rating:

Have traveled with Collett Four time and enjoy them all, service excellent, hotels location always very good they just put a good tour together.
Trip Rating:

Every thing was so well organized, visited all the places of interest, just enough time spent in the country, an amazing tour guide and very good bus driver. Hotels and food great.

05/20/2018

Trip Rating:

Everything was great. Guide and bus driver great. Guide was very through.
Trip Rating:

Wailing wall, Jesus birthplace. Dead sea. Mount olive

05/15/2018

Trip Rating:

The tour guide was exceptional in many ways, and really contributed to our enjoyment
Trip Rating:

i thought that in view of the quality of the hotels usused that it was overpriced.

05/14/2018

Trip Rating:

The phone rep was always helpful with details before teh trip.... but there were problems with the extension to Jordsn.. I will discuss in a later email.
Trip Rating:

good value for money... Out tour guide Mikey was excellent and he pulled Collette up with his servive and knowledge.

05/14/2018

Trip to Israel

Trip Rating:

The hotel labeled Tel Aviv was more than a half hour taxi ride to the beach, all the good hotels were at the beach front. The boutique hotel in Jerusalem was terrible, at the bottom of the hill, nice hotels were clustered at the top. Hotel room was small, beds were small and view was terrible. Shuttle service to airport was five hours before flight, way too long before flight. Not up to Collette standards. It would take a large increase in loyalty credit for me to consider going on another trip with Collette.
Trip Rating:

The Golan Heights, Israel museum, and Jerusalem part of the trip was nice. Hotel accommodations were terrible.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to you to discuss your feedback

Collette Support

04/25/2018

Trip Rating:

The Travel Director and the tour were both excellent. I would certainly travel with Collette again.
Trip Rating:

That is a difficult one to answer as there were so many wonderful experiences visiting the many sites. I have to say though that floating in the Dead Sea was awesome.

04/16/2018

Trip Rating:

Excellent as always!
Trip Rating:

Loved floating in the Dead Sea! Awesome experience!

04/08/2018

A Must Go To! A wonderful trip!

Trip Rating:

We have used Collette 5 times and have never been disappointed. This tour was the largest tour we have been on - 44 guest. Our tour manager , Micky, did a wonderful job!
Trip Rating:

Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee

03/11/2018

Good tour/ guide not up to Collette standards.

Trip Rating:

Mostly I really enjoyed the tour. The hotels were adequate and the food was wonderful. I particularly liked the breakfasts at the hotels. The pace of the tour was good. We did not have any big long rides on the bus and all were relatively short which was a plus. The complaints I have are about the bus driver and the guide. I thought that the bus driver could have done a much better job watching out for people. It would have been good if he got off the bus and helped people down. He never did the extras that add a lot. Was all and all pretty lazy. We sat in front one day and watched him drive and a couple of times he came close to hitting people. Not real careful. As far as the guide went he knew a lot and was interesting to listen to but he appearance was grubby. He didn't shave the whole week, wore old dirty jeans, and sports shirts. It was not professional and what I would expect of a Collette guide. I will send a picture of Khalil in another email.
Trip Rating:

I really liked the itinerary and the fact that we visited 5 national parks. I would liked to have learned more about the geology of the area as it is a special region where the plates are pulling apart. Nothing was said about that.

Thank you for your feedback and for taking the time to review your concerns with a member of our Guest Relations Team.

Collette Support

03/11/2018

Highly recommend for historical value

Trip Rating:

Once again, tour director was excellent. His knowledge was overwhelming. Wish I could have taped him because impossible to remember it all. All the sites were interesting, and I got insights into the history and contemporary conditions that otherwise would have not been possible. Accommodations were top notch. The only negative was that the prepaid meals were repetitive, and I got tired of eating the same things every day. I'm very glad that I took this tour and would highly recommend it to others.
Trip Rating:

Favorite experience was visiting the Old City of Jerusalem. The optional excursion of the sound and light show was excellent. Seeing contemporary life in different parts of the new city was very insightful.

12/03/2017

Israel/Jordan

Trip Rating:

Excellent guides and arrangements, great trip. So much to see, especially liked Jordan extension. The holy land, Petra and Wadi Rum was on the bucket list and worth the trip- amazing.
Trip Rating:

Too many to say but Petra was worth the trip

12/03/2017

Food and hotel accommodations could be better.

Trip Rating:

Would recommend. Israel tour was below standard. The last hotel's room was too small, and the dinner and breakfast buffet meals not as good as the other hotels.
Trip Rating:

Could be better, see comments on first page.

11/07/2017

Trip Rating:

I hardly ever give an excellent rating. Service was what I had expected.
Trip Rating:

The tour guide ****** ******* was the BEST ever and the driver ****** was also excellent. Both individuals made the trip the BEST I have ever experienced and I have been on more than a dozen trips. I love Masada and old Jerusalem. We saw a lot and were not rushed at any locations. I would definitely recommend this tour to friends. The individuals on the tour were also a great group, always helping each other. Some, on the tour were rather elderly and at time, needed a little assistance.

10/01/2017

Got a real education about the country and its people

Trip Rating:

the tour provided great insight into the geo-political situation of Israel. I was al.so surprised how apparently all three religion live in acceptable harmony. Never had any safety concerns. The tour director was in a class by himself. Gave balanced information and his background as an Arab never interfered with his his neutral judgement. Also, the driver was a great asset maneuvering his bus superbly in many chaotic traffic situation.
Trip Rating:

Visit to the Western Wall which gave me goose bumps. Also Masada and the Garden Tomb were places to reflect about our often failed judgements. Respect to so many people caring for all these religious sites.

10/01/2017

Trip Rating:

Tour is near or on the top of the many tours we have taken.(4 with Collette-China Australia,Canadian Rockies Vietnam) The guide was excellent ,as all the guides we have had on your tours.
Trip Rating:

Every day was a favorite except visit to cosmetic store at Dead Sea

10/01/2017

Trip Rating:

The guide makes the tour!
Trip Rating:

Every day was memorable. The guide went the extra mile to indicate at every location the historical event that took place. The store selling Dead Sea salt for beauty (anti wrinkle-aging) was one step above snake oil marketing!

05/27/2017

Trip Rating:

More personal contact with all members of tour a get to gather before 1st dinner with phone number and names of people in the group and where they are from. More discussion about Jewish life in Israel. Explain something about the language. Group photo. Better hotels and information on foods of Israel. Make the tour longer with more cultural events. More important info written down instead of just telling it on the coach. Tour director said he had more than 20 years, he should of known this, he was knowledgeable about some things but I felt he should of been better than he was, and more helpful. He should of talked more about the differences and similarities of the various religions.
Trip Rating:

I told you why another thing was the crowds. The garden with the 2000 year old date tree was good. The tent brunch was good. Masada was good but should of been longer.

Hello, thank you for reaching out to share your experience with the tour manager and accommodations while on tour. We have passed it along for our team to review so they can improve the tour for future guests. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to traveling with you again soon.

Collette Support

05/19/2017

Guides and drivers excellent. More organized so less bus time.

Trip Rating:

At airport we got left behind and then had to wait for an other ride. 1st night we had no to little info. Guide seemed to cater to a church tour. Black Sea only one hour to go into sea. Room was terrible. all in all tour was good with some changes to schedule. Trip to Jordan was excellent. Last night at hotel there was no info for us.Had to call for ride in am.
Trip Rating:

The tour had many great moments.

05/19/2017

All in all trip was really good thanks to guides and their historical info.

Trip Rating:

I thought service was good. We were missed at airport and I manage to see rep. who had to go and find us a ride. When we got to hotel no one knew what was going on. I dressed for dinner and then went on tour of Jaffe. I was not prepared. We were with a church group out of USA and found we seem to cater to them more. I would have liked to see some synagogue / mosque sites. The guides and drivers really good and kept us safe. When we returned to Tel Aviv from Jordan to hotel we had no one to tell about pick up and delivery to airport and needed to phone. Hotel reception no help and told us no breakfast and there was. Collette emergency number very helpful when I called about transfer to airport.
Trip Rating:

I found most hotels good except at the Black Sea. We had a terrible room. No housecoats (everyone else had them to go to sea) /extremely small room /My husband had to fix shower with a pen. We also did not have a lot of time to spend here as we were a shopping place. I enjoyed all historical sites. Guides were so good with info. I liked early starts.

Hello,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the accommodations and time for shopping. We have passed this to members of our team for review.

Collette Support

04/03/2017

Trip Rating:

very professional and detailed
Trip Rating:

religious and historical sites

04/03/2017

Trip Rating:

excellent service from start to finish
Trip Rating:

historical and religious sites

04/01/2017

Great trip, location, guide in Israel and would recommend Collette to other

Trip Rating:

Good trip, knowledgeable tour guide in Israel, safe bus driver, no issues with the hotels in Israel. Lots and lots to see. I added the Jordan extension, Petra was "ok" there were just too many, pardon the term "street urchins" constantly trying to sell things, it really took away from the experience. The local guide in Petra gave the impression that he didn't want to be there, for a while I thought I was was in East Los Angeles, baggy pants hanging down baseball cap turned sideways. Really enjoy the ruins of Jerash probably more than Petra, local guide was great very knowledgeable on the ruins. As for the hotels in Jordan both were nice - Petra was non smoking but was allowed in the bar which they opened up to the indoor courtyard every morning and the smoke fill the rest of the hotel. In Amman, no smoking signs were everywhere but not enforced, heavy smoke throughout the check in area, lounge and bar, couldn't travel to the restaurants without having to walk through the smoke. Several restaurants were closed while we were there. A GREAT unexpected bonus that Collette provided was assistance at the return airport, the individual met me at the curb and walked me to the front of the check in lines and made sure that i had and understood everything to allow me to check in, again GREAT! At no time during the trip did I have any feelings that I wasn't any less safe than traveling in numerous places in my own country. As for the food, it was a different experience, it was very good the first couple of times, but I lost count on how many times we appeared to have the same thing, and I don't recall ever being told exactly what or how i was supposed to eat the stuff. An additional item and not really Collette's issue, was the lack of common manners presented by a few individuals that shared the common dishes, often they would eat off of their forks and than stick it back into the same dishes that everyone else was supposed to eat from, several were sick and just didn't think to have a little common sense, again not a dig at Collette. Great trip and overall experience and I would (and have already) recommend Collette to others.
Trip Rating:

Not sure if I could pick out any one item that was most memorable, there were so many places and things to see. I'm not that religious and that wasn't a reason for me going there but the history of the places and seeing where things occurred was very revealing. Walking the Via Dolorosa and thinking about the movie the Passion of Christ along with being at the places where our history happened was moving beyond belief. Masada was unexpected didn't recall ever hearing about it, I like to go back and spend more time there

11/18/2016

Great itinerary and tour guide.

Trip Rating:

We loved the tour guide, but disliked the hotel in Jerusalem. You need to go to a different hotel.
Trip Rating:

Food at most hotels was sub par. THe hotel in Jerusalem was a dump. Out tour guide was great! So knowledgeable and generous in spirit. He is a very nice person. BAligh Jazzy.

10/14/2016

Good service by Collette CA

Trip Rating:

It was a great tour

10/09/2016

Airport transfer was very slow - waste of time

Trip Rating:

When to good sites
Trip Rating:

desert tourdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

07/10/2016

Trip Rating:

Well organized tour.
Trip Rating:

The hotel in Jerusalem was a fabulous location. The places the tour guide suggested for our free time and meals were the best!

07/10/2016

Trip Rating:

Great

07/10/2016

In light of what goes on in the world today, i felt safe.We looked out for one another !!

Trip Rating:

Reasonably Priced,Great Travel Counselor back home. It meant a lot to have transfers upon arrival and departure to and from the airport !! We were a positive group and all got along well which made for a positive experience !! The tour director and bus driver were outstanding and from the area we visited !! I would recommend the company, and would buy from them again !! No improvements needed !!
Trip Rating:

I made 43 friends in our group !!

06/06/2016

Trip Documents

Trip Rating:

Colette set out everything I needed in their booklet sent prior to the trip. As a result, there wasn't one thing lacking in my preparation for the trip.
Trip Rating:

the only addition to the tour, would be Mt. Tabor.

06/05/2016

a good trip overall, food and service, but exhausting and just a quick overview of the places visited

Trip Rating:

The company is very professional and the guides always knowledgeable and affable. However, the tour itinerary is so packed that it takes away from the enjoyment. It puts pressure on the guide and the guests so none of the tour can actually be savored. There is little time to take in the information and the experience as the emphasis is always on moving on to the next site. I am very healthy and active but found it hard to keep up.
Trip Rating:

Masada was phenomenal but the tour overall was far too pressured to really enjoy the experience.

05/06/2016

Trip Rating:

AA

05/05/2016

Holy Land Journey

Trip Rating:

The tour was outstanding. The tour guide was very professional.
Trip Rating:

My most memorable experience was visiting Jerusalem.

05/05/2016

Inspiring Holy Land

Trip Rating:

Our tour guide Kalil was outstanding. He was very knowledgeable and professional. He did everything to ensure that our trip was pleasant and educational. The tour itself covered many of the important sites in the Holy Land. It was a very inspirational and spiritual experience.
Trip Rating:

Visiting Masada and Jerusalem was very memorable.

05/05/2016

It was hard to take our own baggage which we chose to do but the assignments of rooms was well done and efficient.

Trip Rating:

It was an excellent tour, very knowledgeable guides and good drivers, well versed in the issues and the climate of the areas. We shall say most definitely this was a very very exacting tour, very strenuous and not for the faint hearted. It was rough under foot, many steps and much walking. It should be stressed to anyone taking this tour that it is most definitely a 4 with a capital number!!! It was interesting and full of facts and political info. All given to us with unbiased opinion it seemed and with the invitation to ask any question un camouflaged out right if we had any. We were overwhelmed with the people and the joy of the people and the open love they showed in Jordan. People of the world should visit this wonderful loving country. They would learn that the people of Jordan %95 Muslim live as we are taught as Christians showing love to others where ever we go. We do not do that!!! We had one lunch in a café and it was a zoo, a bean feast and not at all like the standard of Collette we are used to. Knock it off your list. The people were rude around us and the getting food was a fight by others around us. It was disturbing to us. Outside young people did not move to let us descend the steps to the bus. They swore at the guide and we knew they were being ignorant. Collette needs to choose a better place for lunch in that area.
Trip Rating:

I loved Jordan as it spoke to me of the love of people one for the other. I found Israel indifferent to its tourist. The oick up the last day to the airport the limo guy was 10-15 minutes late and we had no guide no one to help. In the end we found our ex guide's number but limo driver then came. This could have been a bad situation. We should have had a back up plan or number at the hotel to call.

05/04/2016

Trip Rating:

Excellent

05/04/2016

Trip Rating:

Travel agent took care of the details. Not happy with the flights which I wrote about to customerservice@collette.com This is our 4th Collette tour. Would go with them again.
Trip Rating:

Great tour. Enjoyed all the religious sites though any tour should always include the Baptism Site at the Jordan River. Everyplace was a highlight.

05/04/2016

Trip Rating:

Paper work was in order. No service problems.
Trip Rating:

The hotel in Jerusalem (the Prima Royale) which we had for 4 of the 8 days of the tour was a very poor choice. The rooms were very small and very dated, the beds uncomfortable, the shower was weak and the room was too small for 2 people. The rest of the hotels were fine. The Jerusalem by Night with Tower of David optional tour was advertised as a 3-hour tour. It consisted of a 45-minute light show with about a 20-minute bus ride at night around the Old City leading up to it, and then a quick ride back to the hotel. Far overpriced at $85, since the walk-up ticket to the light show was priced at $16 (US equivalent). Tour manager (Khalil) was excellent.

05/04/2016

I would rate this experience about 6 out of 10 due to the Hotels.

Trip Rating:

This was NOT a great experience as far as the hotel quality, service and location and not the quality standard we are use to in our previous experience with Collette. We would recommend Collette based on this particular experience. The food for the most part was poor to very poor. Especially any meals supplied by Collette. The good part was the tour guide and the sites we visited.
Trip Rating:

THE SITES WE VISITED WERE VERY INTERESTING AND MADE THE TRIP .

Glad to hear it! He said he will reach out on Monday. Please let us know if there's anything else we can help with in the meantime.

Collette Support

04/21/2016

Professional, well organized and thoughtful!!!!!

Trip Rating:

This was our first Collette tour. We have used other companies like Insight, Globus, Trafalgar and Cosmos. Collette was excellent!!! Everything was professional and very well organized. Our tour guide Eddie ( in Israel) was one of the best tour guides we have ever had. Thank you!!!!!
Trip Rating:

Visiting Masada was a great highlight for me. Eddie our guide was so well versed in all the history of this region that I really learned a lot.

Hi Elizabeth!

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to our request for a review. We appreciate your feedback and we'll be sure to let Eddie know your thoughts. Please let us know if we can assist you in the future and we thank you for choosing Collette!

Collette Support

03/17/2016

Trip Rating:

Everthing went well
Trip Rating:

Miky was Fabulous He is very knowledgeable with history and religion Accommodations, some better than others Lunches , not Good choices but I understood

03/08/2016

All is good.

Trip Rating:

My husband usually deals with booking and flights. We do feel it is necessary to wait on the phone longer than we use to to speak to someone. Love limo service! Our biggest challenge is convenient flights as Stl is not a hub.
Trip Rating:

Driver, tour director, members of our group were the best! Masada. Learning about present political issues, boundaries and social life and education of Israel. Shabbat was an experience with pros and cons. It does affect hotel meals. Of course the religious history.