Background: I took a reservation and a request for info today from two families planning Spyns 2010 Tour de France trips. I asked them what we should add to the website or blog for families and they requested a testimonial from former Spyns family clients. I immediately thought about Elizabeth and her family from Washington DC. Elizabeth has now done 2 tours with me: Burgundy (as a couple) & Provence (as a family). She's smart, meticulous, and is a chocoholic (like me). In fact, I now have a tradition of sending her a pack of Lion bars - the best chocolate bars in France - every year. Here was her recent email response to my questions.
1. Why did you select a Spyns tour?
When traveling through Burgundy on a bike trip with another tour company we had Ryan (Current Owner of SPYNS) as our guide. We were so impressed with him as a guide that we wanted to have that experience again. When we discovered that he had started his own company we readily selected SPYNS for our next trip. The quality of the guides is such a key component to the success of the trip. Knowing we were going to be in such good hands again and at such a great price made our selection of SPYNS an easy choice.
2. How would you rate the reservation process?
Planning a trip through SPYNS is great because everything is taken care of for you. Once you decide which tour you want to try they handle all of the arrangements (except your international travel to the location). From your airport transfers to additional hotel stays to in-country train rides, etc they will make all of the reservations for you. Because it is a small company there is a great deal of personalized service and attention to your individual needs. Additionally they are very responsive which makes planning and scheduling easy.
3. Tell me about your tour.
My family of 4 (two teenage daughters) and another family of 6 (4 teenagers) did [a] Provence trip in early June and it was spectacular. There was a nice mix of activities and the accommodations were beautiful. What is so nice about a tour with SPYNS is that you get such personalized attention. The guides make sure that everyone's needs are met and they take into consideration the interests and abilities of each person in the group. Some days we were eager for more intensity and the guides added an optional afternoon challenge. On other days we simply needed to take things a little easier and they gave alternatives to the route or provided van assistance. You can decide from day to day what you want to try and they support you. (Our guide made sure to have plenty of chocolate at each rest stop for this chocoholic family!--Now, THAT is service!) With a SPYNS tour the accommodations are first class and the food is wonderful. We had a lovely buffet picnic lunch prepared by the guides in a scenic location one afternoon and we had dinner at a Michelin rated restaurant one of the evenings. All of our meals were wonderful and because we were in France we also had fabulous wines selected by the guides to enhance our meals.
4. What would you say to someone considering a Spyns tour?
You can't go wrong! Every detail will be taken care of, individual needs will be met, there is flexibility due to the small size of the groups and the personal attention is great. You can't beat the price for the quality of the trip. The guides are top of the line and because the company really knows the areas they frequent they offer a lot of interesting and unique cultural opportunities to their clients. Whether it is dinner at a small farm house or a wine tasting at a local family vineyard, you will get a real taste of the people and culture. For a fun, healthy, interesting and care-free holiday, a SPYNS bike trip is the way to go!
When traveling through Burgundy on a bike trip with another tour company we had Ryan (Current Owner of SPYNS) as our guide. We were so impressed with him as a guide that we wanted to have that experience again. When we discovered that he had started his own company we readily selected SPYNS for our next trip. The quality of the guides is such a key component to the success of the trip. Knowing we were going to be in such good hands again and at such a great price made our selection of SPYNS an easy choice.
2. How would you rate the reservation process?
Planning a trip through SPYNS is great because everything is taken care of for you. Once you decide which tour you want to try they handle all of the arrangements (except your international travel to the location). From your airport transfers to additional hotel stays to in-country train rides, etc they will make all of the reservations for you. Because it is a small company there is a great deal of personalized service and attention to your individual needs. Additionally they are very responsive which makes planning and scheduling easy.
3. Tell me about your tour.
My family of 4 (two teenage daughters) and another family of 6 (4 teenagers) did [a] Provence trip in early June and it was spectacular. There was a nice mix of activities and the accommodations were beautiful. What is so nice about a tour with SPYNS is that you get such personalized attention. The guides make sure that everyone's needs are met and they take into consideration the interests and abilities of each person in the group. Some days we were eager for more intensity and the guides added an optional afternoon challenge. On other days we simply needed to take things a little easier and they gave alternatives to the route or provided van assistance. You can decide from day to day what you want to try and they support you. (Our guide made sure to have plenty of chocolate at each rest stop for this chocoholic family!--Now, THAT is service!) With a SPYNS tour the accommodations are first class and the food is wonderful. We had a lovely buffet picnic lunch prepared by the guides in a scenic location one afternoon and we had dinner at a Michelin rated restaurant one of the evenings. All of our meals were wonderful and because we were in France we also had fabulous wines selected by the guides to enhance our meals.
4. What would you say to someone considering a Spyns tour?
You can't go wrong! Every detail will be taken care of, individual needs will be met, there is flexibility due to the small size of the groups and the personal attention is great. You can't beat the price for the quality of the trip. The guides are top of the line and because the company really knows the areas they frequent they offer a lot of interesting and unique cultural opportunities to their clients. Whether it is dinner at a small farm house or a wine tasting at a local family vineyard, you will get a real taste of the people and culture. For a fun, healthy, interesting and care-free holiday, a SPYNS bike trip is the way to go!
For more information about Spyns Tour de France tours, or to request references from Spyns former Tour de France clients, please visit our website www.tdf-tours.com or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.
