NAME OF COMPANY: Gee Vee Travel, a coach operator, based in Barnsley, with offices in Barnsley, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Goldthorpe.
BACKGROUND: This is a family run company, with Gordon and Val Clark at the head. Their son Stephen is a mechanic and their daughter Kerry commutes from ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Splendia, a unique selection of luxury and design hotels with character in the most beautiful locations: Marrakesh, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Dubai.... Book directly online or contact our customer service available any day of the week.
Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.
Advantages: see review Disadvantages: single supplements, not all hotels have lifts
NAME OF COMPANY: Gee Vee Travel, a coach operator, based in Barnsley, with offices in Barnsley, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Goldthorpe.
BACKGROUND: This is a family run company, with Gordon and Val Clark at the head. Their son Stephen is a mechanic and their daughter Kerry commutes from Barnsley to Chesterfield, to run the Chesterfield office. Their daughter in law also works at one of their other offices.
ATTRACTIONS: ... ...for all monies paid if Gee Vee Travel should go under. This is highly unlikely as they are very popular. My mother went in last week to pay her balance for our “Turkey and Tinsel” holiday to Weymouth and they were almost queuing out the door!
Insurance can be provided (for a fee) and a deposit of £20 per person is required.
TRANSPORT: The coach operators listing site on www.go-by-coach.co.uk states that there is a fleet ... more
NAME OF COMPANY: Gee Vee Travel, a coach operator, based in Barnsley, with offices in Barnsley, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Goldthorpe.
BACKGROUND: This is a family run company, with Gordon and Val Clark at the head. Their son Stephen is a mechanic and their daughter Kerry commutes from Barnsley to Chesterfield, to run the Chesterfield office. Their daughter in law also works at one of their other offices.
ATTRACTIONS: All the coaches that I have been on have seatbelts and air-conditioning, with access at the front (near the drivers seat) and near the toilet. The latter is not used routinely but can be used as an exit or access point in the case of an emergency or if the driver specifically states it is to be used. For example, when we stopped at a viewpoint in Scotland to look at Loch Ness, the driver (Neil) recommended we used the back door and went round to open it for us.
Most of the coaches that I have been on have a TV screen – but I have yet to see anything played on them. All of the coaches have a radio/tape and sometimes the driver puts this on for the passengers benefit.
All of the holidays include excursions to local towns and villages or places of interest. Some of the day trips and weekend trips (or special offers) include entry to places of interest. If the day trip visits a place, but does not include the entrance fee, the booklet states this quite clearly. In my opinion, this is a very big plus point.
All their holidays are fully bonded in accordance with the Package travel, Package Tours Regulations 1992 you are fully insured for all monies paid if Gee Vee Travel should go under. This is highly unlikely as they are very popular. My mother went in last week to pay her balance for our “Turkey and Tinsel” holiday to Weymouth and they were almost queuing out the door!
Insurance can be provided (for a fee) and a deposit of £20 per person is required.
TRANSPORT: The coach operators listing site on www.go-by-coach.co.uk states that there is a fleet of 15 coaches. The coaches are used for both day trips and weeklong holidays, in this country and abroad. I have never used this company for a holiday abroad so cannot comment on how comfortable a journey is that long, but I would certainly recommend this company very highly.
Taxi fares to and from your house are included in the price (holidays of 5 days or more only), provided you live within a certain distance of the pick up place. If you live further than this set distance, some money is knocked off (I believe £5 per person) the price of the holiday.
Most of the coaches are driven by a single driver and pick up at Barnsley, Sheffield City Centre, Chesterfield Bus Station and Hillsborough, nr Sheffield.
All coaches operate a non-smoking policy and most have a drinks machine on board (including soup) for 50p a cup. There is a toilet on board, but there are regular stops along the way down to the hotels, etc.
PRICE: This, of course, varies according to what you have chosen to go on, but starts from as little as £8.50 for a day trip to Liverpool. I often go on the “Early Bird” tours, which are from January to May, and start from as little as £92 (Bideford) per person, for a week (some are for 10 to 14 days here and abroad) in the various hotels in the United Kingdom. Some of the Early Bird deals are for holidays abroad – this year’s list includes Amsterdam (Thursday to Monday £219) and Paris (Friday to Sunday £110).
DAY TRIPS:
Liverpool: I have been on several day trips – my first was to Liverpool and this include a drop off at a market and then on to Albert Docks. As Robert and I were not interested in the market, we stayed on the coach and were dropped at Albert Docks, which was where the driver parked until he went to collect those who’d visited the markets. Robert and I spent all day at Albert Docks and managed to see almost all the museums there, with the exception of the Beatles Story and one other. So we returned using the same method, to visit these. BTW all the Liverpool museums (apart from the Beatles Story) on Albert Docks included a years free visit to all the others, which is why we revisited the area so quickly. No admission fees were included in this price.
Leeds Shopper: Robert wanted to visit the Royal Armouries at Leeds but we could not find a trip that did this (with any provider). I noticed that Gee Vee Travel did a Leeds Shopper, which seemed ideal. We asked Kerry in the Chesterfield Office and she said that the Armouries was a short walk from the drop off point so we booked it. We were the only ones on the bus who did not come back loaded with bags but we had enjoyed our day immensely. The Armouries is a free museum with about 5 floors all about war, armour, etc. Robert was in his element, but I enjoyed it too.
London: As regular readers will know, I have reviewed two of London’s main attractions (see Werewolf in London parts 1 and 2 – yes a free plug!) and this was as a result of a day trip from this company. This cost £40 and included admission fees. If you haven’t read these cut and paste these links: http://www.ciao.co.uk/London_Eye_London__Review_5465072 and http://www.ciao.co.uk/Buckingham_Palace_London__Review_5465178
WEEKEND TRIPS:
London: A year after 9/11, Gee Vee Travel, was offering a trip to a London hotel, The Rubens, on Buckingham Palace Road, because the tourist trade was flagging. We had one night and breakfast in this hotel for £60 per person (including transport), when a room should have cost £110 per person. It was a wonderful hotel and very near most of the attractions we wanted to see – Cabinet War Rooms, London Eye, London Aquarium, etc. It was very near Victoria train and Tube stations. After this particular year, The Rubens has no longer been an option, but ever since they have offered a London weekend break.
My parents went on one to London (a special offer, which included a visit to Clarence House), this July.
I am going to a hotel near the Victoria train station, Victoria Park Plaza (I believe) in December, which cost £64 per person. This includes transport, accommodation and breakfast. We will again be visiting London’s many attractions.
Some of the weekend trips are to Blackpool or abroad but I have not yet tried these. There is also a weekend trip to Althorp, Princess Diana’s last resting place and former family home.
HOLIDAYS: I could wax lyrical about these, but will try to keep it brief
Isle of Wight: I have visited the Isle of Wight 3 or 4 times now. We have stayed at Sandown all the time but have used 2 different hotels, the St Moritz and the Malvern and I would recommend both. The Isle of Wight is covered in more detail in one of my other reviews – yes another free plug! Cut and paste this link if you haven’t already read it: http://www.ciao.co.uk/Isle_of_Wight_England__Review_5321458
Gordon, the owner of Gee Vee Travel, has on occasion been visiting hotels in the Isle of Wight when we were staying there – if he gets chance he tries to visit those hotels he has guests at to make sure everything is OK. If you ever get to meet him on one of these trips, ensure that he is persuaded to sing. He used to be in a band or group when he was younger and has a wonderful voice – better than some of the entertainment provided by the hotels.
Great Yarmouth: The Swanvale Lodge Hotel is owned by Gee Vee Travel itself and comes highly recommended by its’ many visitors. I too would strongly recommend a visit to this hotel, which is literally 100 yards from the promenade and the swimming pool. There was great entertainment at this hotel provided by outside entertainers and the hotel proprietors.
Turkey and Tinsel: These holidays are held in October, November, and December and are “pretend Christmas” holidays. They are very enjoyable and we book one with Gee Vee Travel every year now. The best one for food was The Balmoral at Bridlington, and the best one for atmosphere was at Torquay.
We have just been to Weymouth for our latest one and there was entertainment on every night - some provided by the coach driver Neil and my father (see my profile photo). We celebrated Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Eve. Santa came and gave us all a present. The ladies got sewing kits and the men got pens.
We had really good food, with 3 or 4 starters to choose from, 3 or 4 main courses (salad one choice every night with 3 types - cheese, ham or tuna) and 4 or 5 desserts. When we arrived on the first evening, a cup of tea/coffee was ready waiting with a warm mince pie. That first evening was a set menu of beef dinner but they did offer an alternative if you were vegetarian or disliked beef.
Day trips from the hotel included Bournemouth and Poole on Tuesday, Dorchester Market and Swannage (optional £4 extra) on Wednesday with a free day in Weymouth on Thursday. I went on all these trips and enjoyed them all. As most of the holidaymakers were elderly or infirm (at 32 I was the youngest on the bus by at least 10 yrs), we only stayed at Bournemouth for an hour and a half as it is hillier than Poole. As my uncle lives in Dorset, he came over on Thursday and we visited Brewers Quay shopping arcade for lunch. It has 2 museums and lots of quaint shops - ideal for Christmas shopping as they are mainly handmade goods such as seatbelt covers and teacosies, cards with names on, glass ornaments, pottery, etc. The food was reasonable £2.95 for a hot meat baguette and £2 for a large bacon bap.
ACCOMMODATION: I have never yet had a bad room – most have ensuite facilities and if the hotel has some with and some without – the brochure clearly specifies this. You can request a low floor for those with disabilities or are elderly but these are premium spaces and your request may not be granted. Most hotels have lifts but not all do (again the brochure specifies which haven’t got them). If you are disabled or taking a person with disabilities, ensure that you explain at the time of booking and the hotel and driver will then do all they can to assist. The booking office also will need to know if you are taking a wheelchair.
FOOD: Again, I have never had a bad meal. As regular readers will know, my father is on a gluten free diet. He has always been able to get fed – although he always takes his own bread, biscuits and gravy mix, just to be safe. Many of the hotels have put themselves out to get stuff such as soup, yoghurt desserts, mince pies, etc. The best one for that was The Malvern at the Isle of Wight.
If you have a special diet, e.g. diabetic, gluten, etc, explain at the time of booking and again when you get to the hotel. My mother has often had a fruit salad or piece of fruit instead of a stodgy pudding because of her diabetes and other diabetics (and other diners) have been jealous of what she has received sometimes! If you don’t ask, you won’t get! She asks if it is possible when the waitresses takes our orders and has yet to be refused!
DRIVERS: All the drivers are friendly and courteous. We all make our own minds up about the company based on this contact and I have my own favourite – Neil, but I have yet to find a driver who gives a bad impression of the overall company.
GOOD POINTS: · Drivers are courteous and very helpful · Booking staff polite and extremely helpful · Good accommodation · Good food · Brilliant prices
BAD POINTS:
· Single supplements – although these are set by the hotels not the travel company but they vary so much.
I cannot think of another bad point! I’ve even asked the folks (parents) who I normally go with and they can’t either.
AFTERWARDS: Book another one or even two!
MORE INFORMATION FROM
Head Office: Gee Vee Travel, 173 Doncaster Road, S70 1UF Tel: 01226 287403 Fax 01226 284783. Ask for: Val, Jayne, Shelly or Janice
Goldthorpe Office: 6 High Street, Goldthorpe, S63 9LR Tel: 01709 888150 Ask for: Carol
Chesterfield Office: 37 St Mary’s Gate, Chesterfield, S41 7TH Tel: 01246 555002 Ask for: Kerry or Shelly (a different Shelly to the Goldthorpe one, by the way).
I have been unable to find a website devoted to this firm but they are mentioned on the Barnsley Chamber of Commerce site, www.barnsleychamber.co.uk and the Go By Coach site, www.go-by-coach.co.uk
The latter states that they have 15 coaches in their fleet and cover the North East area (I thought it would be Midlands and the North but hey who am I to say).
THE FINAL WORD: Like my father says, “ Don’t expect 5 star hotels for 3 star prices”, these holidays are good but don’t expect miracles.
The reason for my title “Follow the Duck” – this is Gee Vee Travel’s tag line and the story goes that a regular customer, with Down’s Syndrome, used to say this when he got back on the bus (because there was a duck attached to the drivers rear view mirror) and they decided to have it as their by-line. So, now you know!
Advantages: get to see a lot of the sights in London Disadvantages: can't see them all, kids screaming
NAME OF LOCATION: BA London Eye, the tallest structure in London, which is like a Ferris wheel.
BACKGROUND: Sponsored by British Airways since 1996, it is one of the most well known Millennium structures. I have always wanted to go on this, and we keep hearing rumours that it is only going to be open a few more years (don?t know if they are true) so we decided that we would do it this year. GeeVeeTravel, a Barnsley company were doing a day special to include this and Buckingham Palace State Rooms (see additional review soon).
ATTRACTIONS: It is a 40-minute ride on the London Eye (called a flight to keep with the BA theme) and is near Westminster Bridge at the side of County Hall. The ticket office is inside County Hall and nearby is the London Aquarium, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament including the tower, which ...
Advantages: plenty to do in Summer Disadvantages: less to do in Spring or Autumn
NAME OF LOCATION: Llandudno, North Wales
BACKGROUND
GeeVeeTravel were doing a March trip to Llandudno and my mother decided to book this particular holiday for her, my father, and myself.
Although I have visited Llandudno many times, they have usually been day trips from home (Chesterfield) or from other North Wales destinations that we have stayed at, so staying in Llandudno would be a great change.
I read several Ciao reviews on the topic so that I knew what was available in March - not a lot, most things open from Easter to October, and Easter was 3 weeks after my trip! Typical.
However, do not be despondent as we found plenty to do in and around Llandudno. Our Driver took us out on 2-day trips but we had plenty of time to explore Llandudno itself on the first evening and all day Thursday. We also had time after our ...
Advantages: friendly staff, good food, comfy beds Disadvantages: too far from Chester for nightlife
NAME OF LOCATION: Quality Hotel, at Chester. There are 75 ensuite bedrooms but you will need transport to Chester as it actually at Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port and was at least 11 miles from Chester itself.
BACKGROUND: We chose to go on a weekend trip to Chester, my boyfriend Robert and I with GeeVeeTravel (see separate review) and it used this hotel as a base.
TRANSPORT
We visited Chester by coach and used this hotel as a base only. Some people on our trip had been informed that it was possible to walk into Chester from the hotel but this is not possible as its 11 miles away and you would have to cross the M56 and the A41, which are extremely busy roads.
Chester has a railway station but as this is some distance from the hotel you will need a taxi or hire car from here. The hotel informed us that it costs £18 minimum ...
