Travelled with RSD to Nepal in June
Travelled with RSD to Nepal in June. Very good holiday, saw lots of interesting places, guide was superb and hotels were of a good standard. I would recommend the RSD holiday to Nepal
3.4
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356 reviews
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Review summary
RSD Travel has mixed reviews from customers. Customers particularly appreciate great value and service, though some mention concerns about customer service and expensive.
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Based on reviews, created with AISee what reviewers are saying
Cultural trip to Sri Lanka
I have travelled with RSD a few times and have never had a bad experience. An excellent way of seeing a country at an affordable price.
Fantastically beautiful country with lovely people
Went to Sri Lanka with RSD - fantastic countryside, amazing friendly people, good hotels and an amazing journey around the country in all its guises - one of the best trips of my life (I travel 10 mths a year) - why so good - people, no hassles of any kind going out, low cost economy, wonderful weather - an absolute gem of a holiday full of variety with something for everyone.
An Absolutely Fantastic Trip To The Balkans!
We had a wonderful holiday seeing so many UNESCO sites in Kosova, North Macedonia, Montenegro & Albania. Except for the last one, which was a little bit "Soviet era", the hotels were lovely with excellent food, very comfortable indeed. Our Turkish guide Gdoikca went above & beyond to help all passengers on her coach, even rescuing a hearing aid, which had fallen out in Cafe Mozart in Budva, Montenegro & organising for someone to drive it to our hotel at least 2 hours away so we had it before the coach left next morning.
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www.rsd-travel.co.uk
All reviews
356 total • Write a review
Showing 341 - 350 of 352 reviews
B
Bob
US
Northern Cyprus
Very much agree with Brian's review. We were on the same tour of "The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as he was, albeit at different hotels. Our guide was affable until he began demanding suitable tips for himself and the driver. He told us our holiday was cheap because the government was giving the hotels subsidies and the carpet, jewellery and leather factories were sponsors. Having spent nearly two hours waiting to leave the jewellery factory, a significant number of our group rebelled and refused to enter the leather factory, instead having a pleasant lunch in a nearby restaurant. The remainder of the group didn't have a lunch break until nearly 4.00pm in Kyrenia. We enjoyed many of the visits, especially Bellapais, the Roman ruins at Salamis and the cities of Nicosia, Famagusta and Kyrenia. The amount of litter almost everywhere was appalling, particularly at the so-called Golden Beach where we alighted from the coach to be confronted by a mass of beer cans, empty bottles, cigarette packets and assorted plastics surrounding overflowing litter bins. We would have liked to wander around Kyrenia on the final day but the Riverside Resort Hotel was a good 20km away and the advertised hotel bus refused to take us. The Hotel Manager responded to our complaint with extreme discourtesy and blatant untruths. We shall not be returning to Northern Cyprus and will certainly not be using Rsd Travel again
Date of experience: April 30, 2018
G
Gunter
US
With RSD Travel to Morocco - A mixed bag
We had never heard about RSD Travel until we saw a glossy leaflet in a professional magazine, offering 2 weeks in Morocco for the special price of £249, including a cultural round trip. By the time we had chosen a departure date, Stansted airport (£50 surcharge) and booked a week’s worth of ‘gourmet buffet’ dinners, the price had increased to £604. We are experienced travellers and realised that this was still are very good price compared to packages we had previously booked with better known companies, so decided to proceed. Our travel documents arrived about 2 weeks prior to departure and were reasonably detailed, except for the lack of any concrete information about the hotels we would be staying in. The reason for this became apparent at check-in, as RSD had chartered an entire aircraft for 180 people on the same tour, who upon arrival in Marrakech were split into 4 Groups with their own coaches and guides. The flight with Corenden Air, a small Dutch charter company, was very pleasant and above average. We were even offered a free roll and soft drinks, unheard of these days with uk based carriers. Immigration procedures and baggage retrieval at Marrakech are tedious, but the subsequent transfer to our hotel was efficient. Initial impressions of our guide and driver were positive and the allocated coach was almost new. Before we disembarked, Ali, our guide had a job to do, namely to sell two further packages, one for lunchtime buffet meals and one comprising several optional excursions. It became clear that our travel schedule during week one would be very tight and that hunting for independent restaurants during a one hour stop in an unknown location would be difficult, so we signed up. We also realised that the tour groups were allocated different hotels (pot luck!), probably at the last minute, hence no advance information. In some ways this was a bonus, as we did not see much of the other groups and we were able to get to know the members of our smaller group. The hotels had all been billed as Four Star, Moroccan classification. We reckon that by international standards they were between 2.5 and 3 stars. Hotel food was surprisingly nondescript and bland, and not always hot enough; some evening dishes were clearly warmed up for breakfast the next morning and the majority of our party, after a few days, suffered from digestion ailments. Some of the better meals were had during our lunch stops, as they were generally freshly cooked. The overall schedule for travel and sightseeing was strenuous for the mostly elderly clientele, but had been well chosen and gave an excellent overview of the country, especially for first time visitors. Ali was a very knowledgeable and engaged guide, probably the best we have ever had. He did of course take us to three local ‘craft emporia’, for rugs, leather and jewellery. Here we were given the predictable hard sell, but we were able to bargain hard, say ‘no thank you’ when we did not want to buy and did not feel under undue pressure. The add-on excursions and entertainment were a mixed bag - ‘Chez Ali’ equestrian show was disappointing, ‘Casablanca by Night’ lasted just 60 minutes, but the longer excursions to Essaioura and Quarzazate were excellent. At the end of our intense first week we were looking forward to some relaxation in the ’Four Star Dream Hotel in the City of Marrakech”. Again, name and location had not been identified. We were very strongly encouraged to book ‘sumptuous gourmet buffet’ packages for dinner and lunches, payable in advance. We did so, as we could not get confirmation about any a-la-carte our external alternatives. The moment we arrived at the the Aquamirage complex, we realised that we had made a mistake. The place is a long way from the city and certainly not a dream hotel, more like a Butlins family resort with a water slide park, sun loungers 6 rows deep and 650 rooms arranged in four ‘cell blocks’. The real horror was the restaurant. The food on offer was not bad, but the place was extremely noisy, tables were grubby, staff were overwhelmed and always ran out of cutlery, glasses etc. After the first day we decided we could not bear an entire week of this and booked a Riad in the old city, which turned out to be marvellous. As the basic hotel stay for the second week had been billed as a ‘free gift’, we just had to write this off, but we asked to be refunded the money for the unused meal packages, which was duly arranged on the spot by the local representative. Overall verdict: Value for money and overall experience during the first week was good, for the second week we should have ignored the ‘free’ hotel and made our own arrangements right from the start. RSD are doing some things very well, but are letting themselves down by misleading and over-hyped marketing, which will unfortunately lead to them having few repeat customers.
Date of experience: April 27, 2018
DB
HOLIDAY FROM HELL
HOLIDAY FROM HELL! Do not use this company. Repeat, avoid anything to do with RSD! A BIG CON 1. They refused to tell us the names of hotels where we were going to stay so we couldn’t inform our families in the UK where we would be all week! Only two weeks before departure they informed us of the flight times instructing us to go to the wrong terminal at Gatwick They confirmed it was going to be the South terminal so we booked the car park etc but the flight changed to the North terminal. We had no warning from RSD but thankfully we checked in the morning of the flight. 2. RSD promised the outbound flight would be from Gatwick to Cyprus via a short stop in Turkey usually taking 5-6 hours. However, our actual flight from Gatwick took 9.5 hours! We firstly flew the wrong way to Manchester (not in the brochure) after waiting an hour on the Gatwick runway waiting for one late passenger! We then waited for a further hour in Manchester as we lost our slot over Europe due to the initial delay. After stopping off in Turkey for refuelling we eventually arrived in Arcan 2 hours late! No word of an apology from any of the flight crew! The plane used was designed for short haul flights (Ryanair style) and yet we were stuck on that plane for 9.5 hours with no onboard entertainment (TV), 2 small complimentary glasses of water offered and 1 cup of tea! 3. Due to the 2 hours delay we arrived after midnight (local time). We were then swiftly put onto a coach and driven for 45 minutes to the mystery hotel. As we were trying to recover form the very long flight, the guide immediately started selling us water, extra excursions and drink packages. We told him that we were all very tired and wanted to go to our beds which we did at about 2am the following day! All this hard selling could have been done the next morning and not at 1-2 am! 4. The next morning, we were then informed that the itinerary we had been provided in the brochure was over 2 years old leaving us with 2 “free days” instead of the promised 1! The included “excursions” consisted of wasted time going to a carpet, jewellery and leather factory were the spent the equivalent of a whole day – including a 6am wake up call!! Of the excursions that were included it mainly consisted of monasteries with little guidance or knowledge of the guide. 5. During many of the lunches we were forced to eat in predetermined restaurants which was highly overpriced. The guide consistently lied to us saying there was no other options for lunch and yet when we arrived at the restaurants there was always many places to go. 6. The guide himself was incredibly rude throughout to many of the paying customers including declaring “what do you expect when you spend £99?” when in fact we paid between £500-700pp! Do not be fooled by the initial cheap pricing of the holiday as there are many extras you are forced to buy! The guide continued to lie to us about what we would be able to do in our “free days” forcing us to pay £100 pp extra! But when we got to our hotels we found numerous activities to do leading us to ask for a refund. The guide point blank refused. 7. The flight home was also a disaster. Not only was it delayed again but we were all very rudely handled in the Turkish airport where we were all drug tested, scanned multiple times, felt up multiple times! This was for all passengers no matter if you were disabled, over 80s years old or even blind! 8. The only positives taken from the “holiday” was that the both the weather and hotels were lovely and of good standard. Overall, if you are interested in going to North Cyprus DO NOT go with RDS! They are a cost cutting, con merchants that do not care about their customers! The whole company is run very amateurly! PLEASE AVOID
Date of experience: April 22, 2018
SR
Travelled to N Cyprus with Rsd travel
Travelled to N Cyprus with Rsd travel. Tours exactly as described, guide good, one hotel poor, one better. Flight out unnecessarily arduous and long, but return journey HORRENDOUS. Point of writing this review is to warn others about the almost compulsory visit to Bufavento Jewels in Nicosia. we are experienced workers in the developing world but we have never experienced pressurised sales like this. We did agree to buy a ring for £1,300 in the end, secure in the knowledge it had a guarantee. This proved to be worthless unless you return to factory in Nicosia. The ring arrived late in hotel before leaving, it was the wrong size and stones loose. Independent UK jewellery report stated ring damaged and unfit for purpose but Bufavento held out against me for 8 months. Eventually my credit card refunded the total amount stating ring was "unfit for purpose". The bank took the hit and this dreadful company got off scot free - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! The whole nasty experience spoilt my birthday present and the holiday.
Date of experience: March 1, 2018
MG
Really enjoyed every single trip on…
Really enjoyed every single trip on every holiday done Turkey 5 times 2 visits to Cappidocia and also Istanbul trip with free week in Antalya. Cyprus was fantadic as was recent tour of Israel
Date of experience: February 27, 2018
DE
RSD cheap holidays spoilt by unadvertised surprises ( N. Cyprus tour)
RSD offer very cheap holidays. We went on the Northern Cyprus tour which, on the whole, was worthwhile, even good. The guides we had were good. However, it was spoilt by the surprises that they don't tell you about. 1. The first we knew of our flight details was when we got our documentation - from Gatwick (North Terminal - not South as several were told by RSD) we flew to Manchester, then to Antalya, and then to Ercan. So not the 4.5 hour flight you might expect. At least we didn't have to get off the plane. From leaving home at 11am, we got to bed at 00:30 the next day (our time, 02:30 Cyprus time). The whole plane was a Turkish charter flight, so everyone was on the same tour - 4 bus loads (about 40 in ours). These seemed to go to different hotels - spread the load I suppose. Some people could get any food either - the airline ran out of it!!! We had stocked up in the airport. On our return journey we had to disembark at Antalya, wait in the transit lounge, then re-embark - an hour or so in total. 2. The hotels are left as a surprise too. Our first could have been straight from Las Vegas - no complaints from us. The second was very much smaller, the main problem was dirty floors in the bedrooms and antique showers, otherwise OK. 3. The itinerary was completely changed. They fitted everything advertised into 4 days so that there were 2 free days. They then offered two optional tours for a total cost of £79, one covering the stuff they'd suggested for the leisure day (plus some) and the other visiting S. Cyprus sights. We did both and were very pleased with them apart from the length of time to get through the border crossing. 4. Shopping!!! We had very little time for general browsing, but they dumped us into 3 factories - Carpets, Jewellery, and Leather. This used up about 6 hours of our time in all which wasn't at all welcome.
Date of experience: February 12, 2018
A
Alan
US
"Really Stupid Decision" that's RSD Travel
"Really Stupid Decision" that's how I class my choice in choosing RSD Travel Ltd holiday company. They certainly have great marketing skills. When the flyer arrived in a monthly photographic publication subscription I was dazzled by the bargain price on offer. Having read the information and contemplated for a couple of days, I decided to book the trip to Morocco, 15 days for £249.00 + £199.00 single supplement on bed & breakfast. This bargin price turns out that it wasn't all that it appeared by the time you add on all the extras for meals. The 1st weeks tour was hectic, changing locations with some early starts. Budget 2* Hotels at best, Coach let in water during heavy rain-storm, it was a wet inside as outside. Tour Guides: This person in my opinion is duplicitous, curt and impolite and not a very good guide, he did not give enough information on where we were or what we could expect to see. He was only interested in drinking alcohol on the coach or, sleeping on the back seat. His assistant was however very courteous and helpful. Coach Driver: This driver was constantly using his mobile phone while driving and did not do anything other than drive. The 2nd week was not as advertised "4 Star Dream Hotel in the world-famous city of Marrakech" but a journey 13 kilometres' outside the centre of Marrakech. Not exactly a City Centre Hotel as advertised. Meaning, when you wanted to go into town you had to pre-book the day before a private taxi 17 seats, at a specified time each way, and a cost of 20.00 Durham per journey, not exactly helpful when you don't know how long you want to be in town for !! The accommodation once again budget 2* poor quality linen, electrical socket hanging off the wall at side of bed. Dining room brisk 5-7 minute walk from the room allocated. The above is only a snapshot of the Overall whole experience, which was a very bad experience !!! I have made a written complaint to RSD Travel Ltd expressing my thoughts, the letter back from them is full of apologies, but that doesn't make up for my wasted holiday time and money !!
Date of experience: February 3, 2018
LD
RSD to Morocco
We traveled with RSD to Morocco and the first weeks "cultural" tour was completely ruined by a very aggressive and overbearing guide by the name of Zouhair who assaulted my partner and I, snatched my phone, broke the case and deleted photos from it. He had regular arguments with other guides and passengers on the coach, wasted time, caused discomfort by not allowing suitable toilet breaks and sulked when people did not buy the additional packages he was selling. We have been on 3 previous RSD tours with excellent guides but this guy was totally out of order. Lee and Sheila
Date of experience: December 4, 2017
A
Andy
US
Avoid like the plague
Honestly the worse company I've ever dealt with. Consistent lack of information, rude and unprofessional tour guides, constant hard sell and no customer service whatever. You literally could not pay me to travel with this company again, it was the most stressful and unpleasant holiday.
Date of experience: December 3, 2017
JC
DONT USE RSD TRAVEL
DONT USE RSD TRAVEL. THEY ARE BOTH UNPROFFESSIONAL AND NEGLIGENT
Date of experience: October 29, 2017
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