Customer Reviews

Congratulations to Fresco Tours for presenting a great experience on the road to Santiago. Carol and Cate were great at keeping us informed, organized and preparing delicious picnic lunches. A once in a life time experience!

Dear Alex, What a journey!! A million thanks for an amazing five days, your planning, hotels, food… but most of all your patience has been appreciated more than you will ever know. We will always remember you and your staff and the wonderful time we have had on this Fresco Tour!! Fondest regards, much love. The Birthday Girl and her fellow Band of Bandoleros

Hello Alex, Another fantastic trip with Fresco. The scenery in Northern Spain is stunning; I loved San Sebastian and all the other coastal towns. Bilbao was a revelation, who knew what a great city it would turn out to be, how lucky you are to live there, I may return some day. The accommodation and food were as always first class, our group was very interesting and I enjoyed meeting them all, we had many laughs along the way. Richard and Jason were excellent guides and entertained us all with historic facts about the towns, the people, and traditions of the Basque Country. Thanks again for a memorable experience, hoping we will meet again sometime in the future. As always I will sing the praises of Fresco and it’s fearless leader, I wish you great success with your new ventures. Kindest Regards, Pat

Hello Alex-thoroughly enjoyed the Basque in the Glory Tour-ason and Richard did a great job. Was really impressed with Bilbao-such beautiful museums-made it to four of them-and wonderful public art. It must be a joy living there. The towns along the way were really something-loved the old walled towns-so much history. Enjoyed the group of people-did you hear about the mantra that developed?-“I’ll have what Bill is having”-instead of coffee or tea at the end of the meal, I would ask for orujo-you introduced me to it last year-pretty soon Ethel would ask for it, but couldn’t remember the name-so she would just say-“I’ll have what Bill is having”-one evening that went around the table, and I think there were 8 similar orders-we all had a good laugh-and then everyone wondered what Bill was having-what a hoot! Could not believe that we got to climb up to the top of the cathedral in Getaria-the young fellow who led the tour was not real sure of his English skills so Richard translated, but I engaged him in conversation and he did a good job one-on-one. What a treat it was to see the festivities in Laguardia-I can now say I have seen a running of the bulls. Have you set your calendar up for next year yet? Thinking about coming back for the Andalusian one-have visited that part of Spain, but I would like to do some hiking-and you find such interesting places to visit, stay and eat along the way. Let me know when the 2014 dates are available. It was great seeing you in Bilbao-Bill

Alex, My daughter, Ainslie, and I had a wonderful time. This was the first big trip we have taken since my husband passed away two years ago. Thank you for making it so special. Jason and Richard were just wonderful guides. They were very knowledgeable and possessed great people skills. I will definitely suggest Fresco Tours to my friends. It is a first class operation. I also love the fact that you keep the groups small. That way you get to know everyone on the tour. I will keep Fresco Tours in mind for future travels! Elizabeth

Hola Alex, Thank you and Fresco Tours for a ‘Buen Camino’ and then some. Your staff was fabulous (including Alissa) and made the trip even more of a success than the beautiful scenery and awesome experience. You have put together the perfect formula. The ‘Hotel Victoria’ is in a great location, but surrounded by Tapas Bars and a disco. It is very, very noisy from 11:00 P.M. until 5:00 A.M. and hard to for guests to sleep, even with earplugs. That being said thank you and your staff (especially Carol) again for an incredible experience. Fresco Tours is the best and we’ll tell Connie’s group (traveling with you next June) how pleased we were. Saludos from California. Juliet and Dixon

Hi, Alex, Thank you again for another wonderful Camino tour! As this was my third Fresco Camino tour, I expected everything to be wonderful, and I was not disappointed. Carol and Cate were wonderful guides, and I still saw and learned new things. Thank you again for all you do to create and support such wonderful Camino experiences! Warmly, Jill

I walked the last 160 km with Fresco Tour guides Alex and Elvira in May. It was such an amazing experience and was made even more enjoyable through the efforts of owner/guide Alex. Every interaction with the Fresco Tour team before and after the tour was professional and timely. The accommodations were superior and the evening dinners 5*. The picnic lunches were healthy and enjoyable. The age group ran from 48-70+ and Fresco Tours met everyone’s needs. If you are looking for an enjoyable and one-of-a-kind experience, Fresco Tours is the answer.

Hi Alex, You were right when you said that it’s going to take a week or more for everything to sink in. I would like to thank you so very much for my adventure. You made it so very special from the food and the places we stayed, what more can I say. I will always remember the walk on the Camino De Santiago, and thanks to you and Elvira you made it a trip to never forget. Thanks, Alexis

Hi Alissa, Our Fresco Start tour was amazing, exactly what Bill and I were looking for as far as a ‘tour’ is concerned. Our walk is not something I can describe to our family and friends. Its almost impossible. They ask ‘how was your vacation’? The Camino isn’t a vacation. Its an experience that gets into you and works its magic. I still dream of walking. Our accommodations were wonderful and the hosts were very nice and helpful. A big shout out for O Pino Hotel whose owner & bartender were so kind to Bill, carrying on a lengthy conversation with him. Bill’s Spanish is not so good and their English was the same! They managed to communicate and the result was fantastic. The small group size for the Start tour is very good also. It allowed us to get acquainted with our group and have nice dinner conversations in the evening. Really, everything was prefecto and all your help before our trip began was fabulous. It appears Fresco Start tours is popular as I go on to the website and check out the dates. Pretty much all full. May you all continue to have success with this tour. Bill and I loved it.
Buen Camino( I love saying it still )! Renee

Thanks, Alex, for being such a great guide and providing such a wonderful experience. Well organized and easy to follow your instructions and guidelines. Appreciated the good lodging, food, and wine. Though I experienced pain in my knee on the downhills, it was eased by the conversation with all the great people that I met along the Camino from all over the world. The man from Slovenia, beautiful women from Germany, Ireland, Canada, and Sicily,and of course our own group of thirteen. I even met South Koreans, South Africans, and two girls from Singapore. Elvira was an excellent and very hospitable guide. When I was in pain nearing the end of the walk each day, there was beautiful Elvira greeting me and encouraging me on. Also, I remember you and Pedro at the checkpoints helping us along the Way. Thanks for arranging the Masses and pointing out the old churches along the way. Truly much more than a hike. For me it was both a religious and deeply spiritual experience. Pam and I are both thinking of coming back next year for the Basque experience. I have recommended Fresco Tours to many friends already. Tomorrow, I get my second total knee replacement so I will have two new knees and hopefully many more miles of hiking ahead. Thanks again Alex, Elvira, Pedro for a great time, John

Hola Alex and Elvira! Thank you for a great vacation! Peter and I rated this Camino vacation a 10! – it was truly a pleasant surprise! Alex, in all our trips the past 22 years, Peter never rated one a 10 until this Camino walking tour with Fresco Tours. This is a testimony to how you made each one of the 13 ‘pilgrims’ feel special. You could not have picked a sweeter/more lovable and more hardworking assistant than Elvira! The careful planning, organization, and direction throughout the 9 days were very evident – the memorable and gorgeous grand houses we stayed in (e.g., Marisol’s manor house), gourmet picnics you guys beautifully prepared that catered to every whim (literally!), the delicious dinners and free flowing wines (literally!), the carefully selected authentic Galician restaurants at quaint towns (still remember the grilled oyster mushrooms and baby trouts at that stonehouse restaurant!), your fun meetings over cocktails, your Camino tales, and just knowing that you and Elvira were keeping eye on all of us in the trails – are just a few of the many wonderful features of your tour. We can tell you guys love what you do! We definitely have the Basque walking tour in mind next time we visit Spain! Pls keep in touch. Warmest regards, Rose and Peter