Customer Reviews

My love affair with Spain which started with Cervantes in College and probably also because of my heritage was really enhanced by the Fresco Tours. The fact that there are a handful of people running this operation is amazing. All the accommodations were very well thought of and very unique to the area. The food that they served at the homes was superb.. sorry can’t think of a better word. Ria and Jason were very attentive to our needs. Taking us to Sunday mass at Melide was one example of thoughtfulness. I am sure you had a hand in getting our little packets, labels and scallops shells etc. together. What a classy operation. It couldn’t be that easy with 2 kids underfoot. The train ride from Madrid that you recommended was awesome. We booked online and got “preferente” seats at a discounted rate. FYI they served us drinks, full lunch,newspapers, coffee etc. Thank you again and Buen Camino

I just wanted to thank you and the team once again for the wonderful experience I had on the pilgrimage. It was brilliant. It will always hold special memories for me. It was also a pleasure meeting you and to share a dinner with you. Kind regards and best wishes, Angela

Hi Alissa, Thanks to both you and Alex for co-ordinating our extra nights accommodation and also for the transfer from Bilbao to Leon. We really had a great walk and both tour guides Jason and Ria were excellent. Our time spent in Spain, such a beautiful country, far exceeded my expectations. It was so nice to meet you Alissa , although we were so tired I don’t think we were all that great company. We will certainly be recommending your company to friends and acquaintances. Kind regards, Deborah

Hi Alex: Maria and I would like to thank you for all that you did to make our walk on the Camino to Santiago such a wonderful experience. You’re thoughtfulness and attention to every detail made our visit the best possible. Thanks and again for all that you and Cate did for us and we’ll be spreading the word about our tour. John

Hi Alex the tour is finished. It was absolutely awesome from start to finish (although grueling at times). Wonderful tour guides, wonderful food, wonderful accommodations. The rest of the group was fantastic lots of fun. Thanks again for a great life-altering adventure. Paula

Dear Alex, Alissa, Jason and Ria – My sister and I wanted to thank you all for making our first Camino experience a memorable one. I knew I wanted to do a hiking trip when I turned fifty and the Camino was not even in my mind until my sister suggested it. I made my research through the internet and happened to stumble on Fresco Tours. I recall that I called the number listed on the website first and when I received a phone call from Alex the following day that basically sealed the deal. Thereafter, it’s been Alissa that I have been communicating with and again she is an ultimate professional, responding to my emails even though she was on vacation. Finally, who can forget the dynamic duo – Jason and Ria, you guys are amazing, you made everyone feel comfortable and cared for very well. Extraordinary service indeed!!! Jason even drove us to Melide and foregone his siesta time so we could attend the Sunday mass and looked for us on the Camino when we missed the lunch stop at Santa Irene…How about the food, I thought I was going to shed a few lbs while on this trip, but boy o boy was I wrong – from breakfast fit for a king, picnic lunches using fresh ingredients from the market alternately prepared by Jason and Ria – (must be a competition between the two since food just gets better and better each day – LOL!) and who can forget the dinners – I mean WOW!!!
With all that said – yes, you got two very happy and content clients who are both contemplating on doing the Basque tour in the near future – not next year but possibly on 2014. Thanks again, the memories of the Camino will always be with me. Buen Camino!!! Yours Sincerely, Nimfa and Maricel

Dear Alex, Alissa, Jason, Cate, Rick and Pepe, Many thanks again for the wonderful trip along the Camino this past July. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Alissa’s prompt help with all aspects of the trip, including trains and buses, was very much appreciated, and I enjoyed meeting her at the dinner. The guides and the driver Pepe were outstanding. I have been on many guided walks before and I found this one to be one of the best. I really appreciated their concern, attention to detail, and constant presence along the trail, the sign to me of an excellent company! Many companies only provide one guide who walks with the fastest in the group and forgets the others! Jason, Kate and Rick were with us along the whole route, with Pepe and the van appearing at key spots to pick up any tired souls! The lunches were outstanding, the guides did a great job preparing them, and they were always a very welcome site after a morning’s walk. The hotels were always beautiful, were well located, with excellent rooms and excellent dinners! As of the flight home, I was recommending you to people I met and I feel certain that friends from England and Canada will be contacting you! Thanks again. Angela

Hola Alex Thank you and your Fresco team for a wonderful Camino de Santiago experience. Our trip was better than we could have imagined in so many ways. A few of the many highlights:
* Alissa was very helpful with pre-travel information and recommendations.

* Every aspect of the trip was well planned and organized. Our guides and our driver (Pepe) accomplished the logistical tasks so skillfully that we hardly noticed.

* Jason and Rick were marvelous guides. Besides just being great people, they were knowledgeable, sharing and fun. It was great that, armed with our daily map, we were free walk at our own pace, with or away from the rest of the group, but meet up with everyone at lunch or the end of the day s hike.

* The accommodations were first rate, including some very unique spots with long history.

* The meals, including (maybe especially) our wonderful lunches, were top quality. It was a great way to experience local foods, and enjoy our new friends, relate Camino stories, etc. Also, as vegetarian who eats fish and seafood, I was thrilled at the quality and variety of the foods available, including the pulpo!
Congratulations to you and the your Fresco team for providing such a wonderful Camino de Santiago tour. We are looking forward to doing the Basque Country trip in 2014. Best, Keith & Sue

Dear Alex, I guess you are used to getting rave revues but here goes another one. The whole experience exceeded my expectations at every level. But first I must start with your organisation which was first class. Australia to Spain is a long way to come for a ‘cock-up’ and the whole Fresco attitude and planning was first rate. It has been an ambition of mine to do this trek for some time and I couldn’t have done it with better guides in Jason and Rick. The Ying and Yang of Fresco? Their care and custody of a diverse group was amazing. Like good jugglers, they made it look easy. Their knowledge, wit and charm … amazing. The food … great. The wine … very good. The beer … bitterly cold. Lucky I was walking every day or I would have come back to Australia the size of one of the many cows I saw. The entire Galician experience was breath taking at all levels – history, country side, antiquity, people. The accommodation ranged from very good to great. Thank you one and all. Andrew

Dear Alex and Alissa, Thank you for the most wonderful introduction to both the Camino and to Spain!!! What memories! I loved my time with the group, the walk, the camaraderie, the food, the wine, (did I mention the food?), the places where we stayed and most of all, the secure feeling that we were in very good hands! This confidence allowed everyone to relax and to enjoy ourselves, which is what a vacation should be. Thank you so much for orchestrating such a venue…the places where we stayed satisfied dreams of French doors, balconies and gracious homes. The monastery at O’Cebreiro was a great starting off point! Now I must mention the guides. Jason is marvelous! He is so knowledgeable, so funny and so finely tuned to everyone’s needs. He was able to manage all of us with seemingly little effort and never forgot a request or suggestion. A true professional. Rick, was a joy! So sincere, kind and very encouraging! Cate was just lovely….sweet, supportive, wanting to make sure that everyone was happy and content. Pepe, by the way, made our day with his music, chocolate bars along the way, and just frankly, being there! This is a dynamic team and they certainly outdid themselves to make sure we all were having a wonderful time. Thank you, Alex and Alissa for being so communicative, responsive and easy to work with. I have told all my friends about your company and I am sure you will be getting inquiries about upcoming tours. I am looking forward to the Basque tour next year and am trying to confirm that I can make those dates in June. Once I do, I will send in my deposit. I am missing Spain so much! The food, the wine, the people! Love the country!!! Can’t wait to return! Enjoy the rest of your summer and thank you for making my 60th birthday an unforgettable adventure!!! Buen Camino y con mucho carino! Norma

Hola Alex y Alissa: First of all, I have no words to describe how much I enjoyed the Camino. It will be an unforgettable experience that I shared with my grand-daughters especially and of course my daughter. You really exceeded our expectations; starting from Jason, Rick and Cate (let them know how much I enjoyed their input. We ended up feeling we had known each other forever, that how nice they treated us with respect and familiarity. Of course they prepared superb picnics for us; and what to say about the accommodations!!!!!!!!! Every time it was a different beautiful sensation, both for the locations and buildings as well as the owners, they couldn’t be nicer. Last but not least, we were very lucky to know a very, very nice group. I do also want to mention a special person: Don Pepe. He was the one who helped finish my walks, by driving me and cheat a little bit. Not only by driving but also showing me different interesting spots and explaining them to me. I guess you can tell I am very satisfied, but mostly happy, and if I had to do it again I would definitely repeat the Camino (if only I could go back in years!!!!!) A very big, big hug, Loredana

Dear Alex, Alissa, Jason, Cate, Rick and Pepe, Many thanks again for the wonderful trip along the Camino this past July. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Alissa’s prompt help with all aspects of the trip, including trains and buses, was very much appreciated, and I enjoyed meeting her at the dinner. The guides and the driver Pepe were outstanding. I have been on many guided walks before and I found this one to be one of the best. I really appreciated their concern, attention to detail, and constant presence along the trail, the sign to me of an excellent company! Many companies only provide one guide who walks with the fastest in the group and forgets the others! Jason, Kate and Rick were with us along the whole route, with Pepe and the van appearing at key spots to pick up any tired souls! The lunches were outstanding, the guides did a great job preparing them, and they were always a very welcome site after a morning’s walk. The hotels were always beautiful, were well located, with excellent rooms and excellent dinners! As of the flight home, I was recommending you to people I met and I feel certain that friends from England and Canada will be contacting you! Thanks again. Angela