Do the rooms have bathtubs or showers?We can request these on your behalf, however, there is limited triple availability and often a triple room contains a double bed and one single. There is little, if any, cost saving to be made in booking a triple room unless it is to save a 'single supplement' charge.
Can we get a ground floor room?All hotel rooms are private ensuite. In Europe, bathroom facilities can vary and you may find that some rooms will have a tub, some showers, some both.
Do accommodations have elevators (lifts)?Approximately 60% of the places we use will have limited ground floor accommodation available, but we will only be able to provide for one room per tour. When a ground floor room is requested but not available, we will allocate the lowest, most easily reached alternative room available.
Do we dine at the hotels?Whilst most properties will have a lift, we also use hotels which do not have one. In these instances our guides or the hotel will assist with the carrying of your bags to your room. Some hotels are in very old buildings and there may be stairs between the levels in the corridors. For this reason we suggest you be in reasonable physical health.
What kind of room should I book?All breakfasts are taken in the accommodations. We have a minimum of a two-course cooked evening meal at many of them but on occasion, to add variety to your tour experience, we also dine out at local pubs and restaurants. When we dine out it is understandably to a budget but in the rare circumstance of a client wanting something special you are able to contribute to, and supplement, the budget. Wines and other alcoholic drinks are not included but tea/coffee is included.
I am a single traveller. Is it possible to share a room? Why must I pay a single supplement?A very important point to note when you are booking is that we need to know whether you want a twin room (two single-sized beds in a room) or a double room (one standard-sized bed for two people). You need to tell us at the time of booking what your choice is as the room types are not interchangeable.
What grade of hotel does Back-Roads use?We do not “match up” single travellers, because we find that in a small group scenario this does not work. And it is very unlikely that another single traveller on the same tour will have a similar request. All hotels will charge extra for a single room, even though this might be smaller than a double room, sometimes with a smaller bed, though in some hotels the single traveller will have a double room for their own use.
What else should I know about the hotels?We generally use 3 star / 4 star standard accommodations ranging from guest houses, country inns, town centre hotels and the occasional castle! But rather than going by the official grading (which is based solely on the facilities available rather than the standard), we base our choices on quality. So on occasions we might use what is officially a 2-star hotel, but one which we know to be much better than a lot of higher-graded hotels! In all properties the rooms have ensuite bathrooms.
Is porterage included?The main thing to understand is that many of the traditional properties we use are older buildings not purpose-built to be hotels. So often the rooms are different shapes and sizes – and they are often smaller than you might be used to or than you might be expecting. For the same reason the plumbing might be “temperamental” – just look upon it as part of the European experience! Often hotels do not have lifts or air-conditioning, in many cases because they are not allowed to as they are “listed” and protected buildings with restrictions on what they can do in terms of making changes to the property.
Can Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd arrange additional nights’ accommodation in the cities of arrival and departure?We include porterage wherever possible in the hotels.
Yes. Please, let us or your travel agent know at the time of your initial booking. Please note most tours start at 0830am on day 1 of your tour or at 6pm. If departing in the morning, we advise you stay in the hotel the previous night so you are ready to meet your guide in the morning. If your tour commences in the evening, you may not require pre-tour accommodation and instead arrive during the day at your leisure. Please check your itinerary. Most tours complete early evening. We cannot usually drop you off at the airport, so we suggest you book your flights departing the following day of the tour to ensure you do not miss your flights due to unforeseen circumstances.
Back-Roads Touring Company Ltd.
Level 1, 107 Power Road,
London W4 5PY
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0) 208 9870 990
(Mon - Fri: 0900 - 1800 GMT)
Fax: +44 (0) 208 9940 888
info@backroadstouring.us
