Customer Reviews

Dear Alex, Hope and I are back from our Camino adventure and I just wanted to write to you to tell you what an amazing time we had with Fresco Tours. Everything was absolutely splendid! Jason, Sol, and Paula were the best. All of the places we stayed were so special and unique. The Pazos and Posadas were little treasures, the food was all great, the picnics were divine. And then there were the churches, the history, all the tidbits along the way that we could never have gleaned without. It was all so well planned and seamlessly executed, which I know is a feat in itself. I must also add that Alberto was a gem, always there with a smile and water. This was the experience of a lifetime for me and Hope. To share this with my daughter, to grow through all of our steps on the Camino, is something beyond words. What a wonderful gift Fresco has shared with all of us. Thank you and all the best for future success. Buen Camino! Lynne

Dear Alex & Alissa, Thank you for your recent email, together with addresses and photographs! It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun! Jason and Rick looked after us superbly, it was almost individual attention all the time! The hotels and restaurants were amazing, and all so different as well, I ate so much that I am now on a diet! The little fish restaurant (Bar Boquerón) on the sea front in Barbate provided one of the greatest meals of my life! The hotel I liked least was the one in Jerez, I thought it was a bit old fashioned. Maybe, if we had stayed 2 nights in the Ronda hotel, and 2 nights in Jerez, it might have been better as perhaps I wouldn’t have noticed it. Many thanks for organising such a wonderful trip! I am very tempted to join the Basque tour in 2015 – that is, if I can still walk! Good luck for the summer tours on the Camino! Honor

Alissa, Alex, YOU BOTH ARE WONDERFUL. From the very first email that I sent to you inquiring if it was a good idea to walk on The Camino in November and if it would be possible for you to arrange a last minute trip for us your responsiveness has been unbelievably fast. Not only are you responsive, but you are knowledgeable, insightful, proactive, have great attention to detail, great planners, helpful, and clearly love what you do, and clearly care that your customers have a great trip. The trip that you arranged for us was wonderful! We loved the walk from Sarria to Santiago and each day looked forward to what the night’s stay would bring in terms of accommodations, food and wine which was always a welcome and enjoyable surprise. The information about our trip on The Camino that you had waiting for us at our hotel on the first night was incredibly informative and helpful throughout our trip. The hotels that you arranged for us were great and the baggage transfers worked perfectly. And you exceeded our expectations again when you called us twice during our trip to check in on us!! We will be recommending Fresco Tours every opportunity we get, and if you ever need a reference, we would be happy to be a reference for you. Thank you again for arranging one of the best trips we have ever had.

Just returned from Galicia and our 100 mile pilgrimage on the Camino. We went with Fresco Tours, about whom I cannot say enough wonderful things! Our guide, Jason, was awesome. Attentive and knowledgeable about the history, the region and all things Camino, we loved getting to know him. We also really appreciated all the Fresco people that we travelled with and worked with. The hotels, inns and manor homes that we stayed in, the delicious meals we shared with our fellow peregrinos, even the challenging weather, served to make our pilgrimage an unforgettable experience! We highly recommend walking the Camino de Santiago, using Fresco Tours as your companion and guide. Buen Camino!

Alissa, Delores and I agree with Freddy, the trip was the best in our 55 years of togetherness. Hope we can do another walk with you-all in the future. Please pass on to Alex, Jason, Sol and Pedro our sincere thanks for such an enjoyable and memorable trip. Happy Thanksgiving. All the best, Fred and DeLores

Thank you to you, Alex, for creating such a special and memorable time! Our guides were superlative, in many ways, and the care with which you joined us was much appreciated. Thanks to Jason and Sol, as well. The photos are great, a real variety of situations for us, and of the sights along the way. Wishing you well for the winter months, Anne

Hi Alex — The group has had lots of discussions about the Camino afterwards, always such vivid memories of the daily pulsing pain in our toes, but always finished off with good memories (spiritual and otherwise), and capped with exclamations about the lamb, rabo, pulpo, sopa gallega, baby trucha, the sweetest tomatoes and veggies from Marisol’s gardens and Elena’s neighbor’s gardens, albarino and tinto and urojo, etc etc. So much to experience and taste, but so little time, a cliche that rings so true! I must tell you that the pilgrim’s blessing at the San Isidoro Church in Leon was very moving — I don’t know why I cried exactly, but I think it’s because at that point I have made the vow at the altar of God that I will complete the Camino, that there’s no going back, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to deliver that commitment. Ha ha, thanks to our indefatigable shepherd Jeffrey, and the impressive spirit of my camino-mates to complete the walk, I was able to do every inch of it. Since I denied myself drinking wine while on the Camino, the cava on that last dinner was extra-celebratory for me. Thanks for making it possible for us to give that special embrace to Santo Santiago at the Cathedral — for a few moments, EVERYTHNG was right in this world.

Hola Alex, Thank you so much for a great tour! I travel a lot and, despite my less then perfect health at the time, this was right up there as a top contender for best active trip I’ve taken. You and Jeffrey did an amazing job of keeping everyone upbeat and cooperative, even on the rainiest of days! The accommodations and food were far beyond what I expected and I’m eagerly awaiting Peggy’s pictures of every place we stayed and every bite of food we put in our mouths! The countryside we saw was just beautiful and the trip was great fun and a great value! I’ve regaled many friends with the CD of pictures and recommendations for the trip! My only addition to information you provide for the trip is to add the waterproof backpack cover to the packing list, and perhaps the inexpensive throw away rain ponchos. Happy Holidays and watch for a package from your US Elves. It should arrive between December 10th and 15th. Marlene

Hello Alex…The walk was an incredible experience and your planning and arrangements just perfect. I loved the places we stayed, food we ate, and things we saw. Carol and Marta were fabulous guides as well as delightful additions to our group. They went the extra mile for us in all instances and really contributed to the success of the walk. In short, I just could not be happier with the trip. One small suggestion, the Cathdral tour in Santiago was wonderful but our group all wanted to attend the noon Mass. With the tour ending at noon, the Cathedral was packed and we could not really get seats or participate in the service like we wanted. I do understand that not all your clients want to attend the Mass. However, starting the tour at 9 instead of 9:30 would allow those who do wish to attend, the opportunity to do so. I hope to have the opportunity to travel with FRESCO again in the future and will highly recommend you to all who are interested. Sincerely, Hilary

Muchas Gracias from me too!!!!! I can’t say enough good things about Carol and Marta! They were the greatest; such lovely women and so knowledgeable about Spanish history. The group was great, having all women was really special! We all got along famously and when one needed help, the rest were there to step up and help. I know we will keep in touch with each other. Perhaps you should offer tours for all one gender, I know this one was special, but I know Carol and Marta liked the fact that we were all women as well. The food and lodgings were 5 star! The picnics were outstanding, and the Canadian Thanksgiving picnic was really special for us three Canadians in the group! Thanks to you, Carol and Marta. I know my Camino will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have made some promises to myself that I will try very hard to keep? I really didn’t want the walk to end, I just wanted to hold onto the feeling as long as I could. I only wished I could come again and do the entire way! I was so impressed with the Korean, 73 year old gentleman that I sat next to on the bus to Porto. He had walked all the way to Finestere! and had done some Camino walks of 50 plus kilometres along the entire walk. . He lived in Maryland! but had been a trekker on Mt. Everest. He really was an example of all the remarkable people who make a decision to leave their normal lives for a period of time, and lose themselves to the Camino! These are the kind of experiences I will treasure; the people along the way, the silence to enable you to live in your own thoughts as you walked, the beauty of the scenery, and the friendships made within the group, and last but certainly not least, the two special women, Carol and Marta! who guided us along the Way. Thanks Alissa for all your help for the planning for Bilbao! Leon and my trip to Porto. I was happy to meet my husband in Porto! But it’s a different kind of holiday now? I walked the golf course at Praia d’el Rey yesterday and took in the views of the beautiful ocean. There is big surf here so lots of young people surfing. Yesterday after a glass of Port, I mustered up the courage to walk along the old historic wall of Obidos, and we attended rosary and mass in Fatima. Portugal is quite different from Spain! but lovely as well? We plan to go into Lisbon and do some more investigating around this area over the next few days, and fly home on the 27th. My Camino memories will stay with me. Muchas gracias again.

Buenos Dias, Alex! I can’t say enough about my pilgrimage. It met my every expectation! Obviously, the beautiful walk, but included was the wonderful “plentiful” native foods and local wines. The group was compatible, which made the journey that much more enjoyable. Accommodations – A+ – and my kale held up well in the variety of “cool spots” : balconies, windowsills, hanging flower pots!!! My suggestions for improvements: With all the rain we had, I would strongly urge people to come prepared for all types of weather, especially in the spring and fall. Hiking shoes/boots not sneakers, as I saw those who wore them, struggle with blisters – and wear the shoes for a couple of months BEFORE the trip. I know you make a list of things to take, but maybe an emphasis on those two things. The Dollar Stores in the US carry $1.00 ponchos – I ended up giving them to Carol & Leslie – they work!!!! I’m working very hard to recruit 9 people for a tour – remember our “deal” the 10th is free! (just kidding about the 10th) – but have piqued the interest of many friends! My grandson was thrilled with his Real Spain soccer ball – Enjoy the Christmas holidays with Lucas! Fondly, Mary Ellen

Hi Alex, Yes the earthquake was indeed terrible thing. Churches, hundreds of years old, were reduced to rubble. Unfortunately, granite does not exist in this country. Back in the day, the material used to make these grand old structures were porous coral mixed with egg yolk and hay. How can that stand a chance against a severe earthquake?The were some lives lost but thankfully it was a holiday and most people were safely at home. Anyway, thanks for your kind thoughts. We are all back home now. It was pretty amazing how we all ‘survived’ the camino, thanks to Jeffrey and his excellent shepherding skills. All aches and pains, muscle soreness, are just a distant memory. What truly stands out in my mind are the beautiful wooded paths, the welcoming pazos, the wonderful food and wine, the spirituality of the entire experience, and most of all the achievement of all our aspirations – the entry into the Cathedral of Santiago.The tandem of Jeffrey and Alberto was sublime. They worked in absolute harmony, ensuring everyone was in one piece. Of course there were minor inconveniences, which now prove to be insignificant. I’m not sure if would do it all over again. I would have to think long and hard about that. Maybe if the walking day was around 15 kilometers I would consider it. Of course my camino mates, made it exceptionally awe inspiring. After viewing Jeffrey’s photos, I now wish it hadn’t ended so soon. I can say that now because the aches and pains are gone, and all the inconveniences turned out to be invaluable lessons. I hope Jeffrey didn’t have to work too, too hard to make everything move like clockwork. More power to you Alex! Un abrazote desde Manila, Marimi