The tour company itself is not bad, but the guide was extremely unlucky

Review for the tour "Venetian Riviera", 07/03/19 - 07/13/19, guide Ilona Yazdovskaya

So, in the review for the tour, you will learn the following:

- Super Promotion: 2 islands for the price of 3

- Amazing tourist tax in Lido di Jesolo for the price of Venice itself

- Night transfers on tours without night transfers

- Extreme tourism without normal sanitary stops

- Tour of the Venetian Islands without a licensed guide

- Bonus - an additional night Venice, which is not mentioned in any program

- And an enchanting result - tourists who missed their train!

Let's start with the positives:

- All hotels were good and quite pulled for their three stars

- The islands of Burano and Torcello themselves are interesting, although Murano was mysteriously thrown out of the program

- Venice is beautiful and a licensed guide in Venice, Natasha, also tells everything wonderfully

- Lido di Jesolo is a picturesque town in the Veneto district, many shops, you can have a good rest for those who love the beach and those who just like to walk

- Despite the fact that the road was long and dark, the drivers still took us

Direct feedback:

The tour was very much expected, especially since we had to travel with BonTour already. Six months earlier, we also went on a tour to Italy, to San Remo. Everything went great, the guide last time was just a smart and very responsible girl with excellent organization of everything.

This time, having learned that Ilona Yazdovskaya would be the guide, and after reading a few reviews about her, we also hoped for the best. But alas, things went wrong...

I believe that we can not go into details about the complexity of crossing the border. Although, perhaps, the first alarm bell rang even then.

The delay at the border crossing was due to a problem with the passport of one woman (at least that's what our guide told us later).

That woman lost her passport, applied for its loss, received a new one. But then I found an old passport with a valid visa. And I tried to walk through it. Of course, the database contains data on her two passports. She and the guide solved problems for over an hour while we sat on the bus. That woman couldn't get through. To the question of other tourists: “How will she get home?”, Our guide Ilona replied: “These are her problems.” An amazing answer... But let's put it down to the irritation and fatigue of the guide.

However, more interesting. Our guide, Ilona Yazdovskaya, is far from the most organized person. Problems with sanitary stops began almost immediately. Yes, they were quite rare. Although there were several children on the bus. But again, let's be optimistic for now and write it off as the guide's desire to make up for lost time at the border.

However, when checking into a transit hotel in Italy on 07/05/19. something inexplicable happened.

As already mentioned, our guide Ilona is very disorganized. But this time she outdid herself. We arrived at the transit hotel at 2:00 am. When checking into a transit hotel, the reception needed the dates of issue of passports. I don't believe she didn't know about it beforehand. Head offices always know such things, and always warn guides. For example, in Czech hotels they always ask you to fill in your home address and visa numbers in advance. All this is filled in the buses - they just pass the form along the rows and the people write. And then the guide calmly gives the data sheet at the hotel.

But here is something incredible. "Suddenly" it turned out that we needed the dates for the issuance of foreign passports. I don't believe BonTour's office didn't warn Ilona in advance. She must have forgotten. As a result, tired tourists dictated the dates of issue to her on the spot. She did not collect the passports on the spot and did not stamp the dates quickly.

She galloped through the list of surnames like a mountain sheep through the peaks. She called names, but it was already too late, the people were tired and reacted badly. Some people who managed to quickly approach the reception and stand next to Ilona calmly, humanly, told her that please fill out my passport (but Ilona “jumped along the list”, for some reason claiming that she started from the end. No, not from the end - she just jumped from surname to surname, jumping over one pattern she knew). Ilona did not answer anything intelligible. She simply waved people away with her hand, as if from annoying flies.

The next day, Ilona, ​​of course, did not apologize, or even somehow plausibly explain the situation. She began to tell some nonsense about the "role" of the Italian at the reception, and that she allegedly had a list. If so, then why did she keep people at the front desk? More like a ridiculous distortion of the truth and an attempt to hide their incompetence.

Oh, it's a pity I didn't have enough creativity to record her excuses on video. The state of health was too bad after a long move and such a crazy settlement.

The next day, during an excursion to the island of Torcello, one of the respectable ladies said that she saw Ilona drinking wine during a stop in Austria in the evening. This explains a lot about the behavior of the guide. But now let's imagine that the guide, who is responsible for 40+ people on the bus, drinks alcohol at work. What if there are emergencies? But there were children on the bus. Thankfully nothing happened.

By the way, it turned out to be an extremely amazing thing with the islands. Ilona reduced the program on the islands of Burano-Murano-Torcello, removing Murano. And the cost of the package of excursions remained the same. One woman from Pskov asked Ilona about this: why does this happen?

Regarding Murano, Ilona first stated that there would be a glass factory in Venice, in which the same thing as in Murano. And therefore you don’t need to visit Murano, it doesn’t make sense. The tourist continued to ask Ilona many times, in the end, even before the excursion to the islands, at a stop in Poland, Ilona answered her with an amazing phrase: “Because I said so!”. Gorgeous answer. Although, the tourist asked the guide a completely legitimate question. As a result, that tourist later basically went to the islands on her own. We simply did not have the strength to go to the islands on our own, so we went with our guide. I wanted to see Burano with colorful houses and Torcello soaked in the spirit of the Middle Ages. Too bad we didn't get to see Murano. The glass factory in Venice was also not seen in the end, but more on that later.

But, really, the question remains why the cost of excursions to the islands has not decreased? Two islands for the price of three, is this such a super promotion?

Usually it's the other way around: three for the price of two. Or at least three for the price of three. But not two for the price of three.

And there is one question: why did Ilona include an excursion to Venice at night in the program, i.e. in addition to the main Venice? There was not a word about Venice at night on the site, nor in the program! Additional tour cost 40 euros. But we will also return to the history of the excursion a little later.

It is also interesting why the excursion to Slovenia, to Lake Bled, was removed from the program? Ilona didn't even give an opportunity to form a group to Slovenia. She simply, from the very beginning, said that there would be no trip, because repairs were underway on the road to Slovenia.

It turns out strange. As mentioned earlier, last year we went to San Remo with a different guide.

She did not distort the initial program, she simply immediately honestly warned that the way to an additional excursion to Genoa would take longer, because after the tragedy with the bridge, a detour would have to be used. Excursion, as far as I remember, typed. But in the case of Ilona and the excursion to Slovenia, tourists were not even given the opportunity to choose.

Another very interesting point: Ilona collected 19 euros from tourists city tax (tourist tax, it's just a tourist tax). Why 19 euros? On the Internet, in English google, you can easily find information on the tourist tax for the cities of Italy. Lido di Jesolo is a city of the Veneto district and the capital of the Veneto district is Venice.

In Venice, there is one tax - 3.5 euros per person per person in a three-star hotel, and in Lido de Isolo - another: 1.5 euros per day per person in a three-star hotel (we lived in three-star hotels, and the amount of the fee depends on stars, a list of cities and hotel star fees can be found, for example, on the Italian website www.gadis.it/CityTax.php). Yes, Venice and Lido di Jesolo are in the same district, but they are different cities, they have different fees. Entrance to Venice from 2019 is paid, 3 euros per person. It is understood that it is not included in the tourist tax, city tax. But even if we assume that Ilona calculated taking into account the entry to Venice (then, it also turns out strange, because she also calculated for those who did not go to Venice at all). So, we consider, taking into account the entrance fee to Venice: 3 euros for entry plus 1.5 euros per day for five nights in the three-star Lido di Jesolo hotel (that is, only 7.5 euros per person). The result is 10.5 euros.

Plus a fee for a border three-star transit hotel relatively close to the border with Austria in the city of Pordenone. There is no information on it at www.gadis.it/CityTax.php, because the city is not considered a very touristic place. But even if there is a fee, it is unlikely that it is so large that it is 8.5 euros per night, when in the resort Lido di Jesolo 1.5 euros per night for a three-star hotel, in Venice for three stars 3.5 euros, and in Rome itself three stars for 4 euros per night. I also did not find any information about the fee for entering the islands. It's easy to check all this. And even if we assume that there is a fee for entering the islands, then again, the question arises: why was 19 euros taken from everyone, even from those who do not go to either the islands or Venice? Why didn't Ilona clearly explain anything?

If she put a tip in the dachshund in advance for herself, then this is even more strange. Because tipping is voluntary, this is what is done at the end of the journey, at the entrance to the final destination.

And in this case, it’s not even a pity for money, but the attitude of the guide towards tourists causes hostility. So dismissive and generously flavored with unwillingness to explain anything intelligibly, but looking from the outside like this: “Bring me your money! And do not interfere with the guide to take a break from you, annoying tourists!”

And as mentioned earlier, we went with Bontour to Sanremo last year. Everything went great then. And, oh miracle! I do not remember the settlements at the second hour of the night. Although, with that guide we also went to Italy through Austria. Strange, isn't it? Probably the point is in the organization, and in the fact that if there is not enough time, you need to cut your free time in order to arrive at the hotel on time, so as not to leave the next day later (after all, according to European rules, the bus must necessarily stand for nine hours), and then it didn’t work out check-in at two o'clock in the morning.

Ilona, ​​on the other hand, is so uncollected and unorganized, so incompetent and distorts everything so much that her behavior undermines Bontour's credibility. It's a pity - Bontour fights for clients, even specially travels from St. Petersburg for tourists from Pskov. This, of course, on the one hand causes inconvenience, but on the other hand it is worthy of respect. But Ilona undermines all trust. After talking with such an incompetent guide, I also don’t want to travel with the company. Although Bontour still has so many great programs. But where is the guarantee that Ilona will not be there again, spoiling the rest with her disorganization? What is only worth "lunch" at 9 pm after leaving Vienna. About rare sanitary stops and late settlements in general, you can no longer comment.

Yes, of course, Ilona has her fans. On the tour there was a girl with her mother, sitting in a row behind the driver, they simply defended Ilona with their breasts to the last.

Maybe they have the delight of the first trip. Or maybe they are just satisfied with such a careless attitude of the guide to the tourists. Maybe some other reason.

I won’t be surprised that Ilona, ​​who is so deaf to the requests of tourists, will become ill in one of her tours. The audience often travels quite old. Everyone's heart is different, and people with poor health are not forbidden to go on vacation. However, Ilona will probably smile sweetly and say: 'These are their problems, they themselves are to blame.' As she said about the woman who did not cross the Russian-Estonian border.

...Next, we finally arrived at Lido di Jesolo, our destination for relaxing by the sea.

Shortly after checking into two different hotels, Ilona took us to the islands. With the islands, as you know, we have a super promotion - two islands for the price of three. Indeed, according to Ilona, ​​there is nothing to do on Murano, because there will be a glass factory in Venice.

But I no longer had the strength to go to the islands on my own, I had to join the super-action.

As a result, we had the islands of Torcello and Burano. There was no licensed guide on both islands, the tours were conducted by Ilona. And the tours were without an audio guide, she said she forgot it.

On Burano, one of the women asked the very fast Ilona to walk a little slower, because the woman's husband had a leg pain. But Ilona completely ignored her. In the end, the man got lost. Luckily, his wife found him after all. Thankfully, everything worked out.

The next day we had an excursion to Venice. A licensed guide in Venice, Natasha - I liked it, a very erudite girl, she spoke beautifully. Ilona, ​​as you might guess, did not arrange an excursion to the Glass Factory. She said that the factory was allegedly closed for repairs. You can only go to their store. If the factory is really closed, why didn't Ilona know about it sooner?

Very strange and sewn with white threads.

On 07/09/19, it turned out that Venice at night was "suddenly" canceled, allegedly due to the weather (the same excursion that was not in any program, it was introduced by Ilona). We were not going to Venice at night, but all this is very strange. Although, the fact that she nevertheless returned the funds to those who paid for "Night Venice" cannot be said. However, this does not diminish the oddity. I don’t want to slander anyone, but to conduct an excursion in Venice without a licensed guide is much more risky than in Burano and Torcello. And it is apparently very difficult to negotiate with licensed guides for unplanned excursions.

On the 11th there was a departure from Italy to Austria, to Graz. Departure for some reason was at half past eight in the morning, although the road was very long. Why can't you leave at 6 am?

After all, on July 10, our bus went nowhere, it was completely defended (although, according to the initial program, departure was implied, the program was changed by the guide). In a word - the riddle of disorganization. We drove to Graz for a long time, we arrived only by the fourth hour. We left the city only at half past seven. We had losses. Yes they were. But again, the question is for the guide: why give so much free time after the tour, if the time is already back to back?

And yes, we settled again at two o'clock in the morning.

Accordingly, the next day we left, respectively, at the eleventh hour, although we had to drive 950 km.

Ilona handed out receipts on the bus. I do not know in what form they reach the head office and whether they reach at all. You can't normally sign on the bus. I don’t want to slander anyone, but if necessary, it’s not difficult to remake such papers. Islands that are two for the price of three are listed at full price. City tax 19 euros.

Again, surprising: where does this number come from? But this has all been written before.

We arrived very late that day. The whole day was shaking in traffic jams. Road works are underway in Poland. And we collected all the plugs. Strange thing - Ilona found out about the road works in Slovenia, but did not learn about the road works in Poland. And instead of driving on toll roads or bypasses, we collected all the traffic jams. We only got in at 3 am. By the time everyone settled down, it was already four. Breakfast at eight. Nine loads of suitcases. Then a tour of Vilnius. Slept for about 4 hours. Drivers, by the way, too (after all, the luggage was loaded at 9 with them). And they have to drive a bus to St. Petersburg. Through the entire Baltic, and then through the Pskov region. Huge responsibility. And they didn't sleep well either. Also, remember that this is an age group. And on this day there was almost a night crossing, which is not provided for in the program and arose due to the disorganization of the guide.

After crossing the border, we drove through Pskov. I remind you that we left at 12 am, because we checked in at three in the morning, and the bus had to settle in Lithuania for 9 hours. We arrived in St. Petersburg at about four in the morning (actually another night crossing). Ilona's disorganization eventually resulted in sad circumstances. Two girls from the group missed their train at half past two in the morning. Looks like they booked new airport tickets online for 04:15. I hope the girls made it safely.

We took the train for a later time, at half past five in the morning. We did not expect such an incompetent guide, we just feared that during the tourist season there might be a long border crossing.

Of course, Ilona did not apologize to the girls. She pretended that she had nothing to do with it. I don’t know if anyone else was late for their transport or not, but the situation resulted in what it resulted in.

Ilona's incompetence and disorganization could have ended even worse. Because, I remind you, the drivers also had little rest. And then they had to drive a bus to St. Petersburg through the Pskov region. Through darkness and broken roads. And the good thing is that the bus did not break down and soldered into some kind of truck.

However, the question to the guide again arises: if it is clear that it is impossible to meet the time, why give so much free time? Or did the guide need free time in the first place to shop? Are tourists just a nasty side factor?

After all, this is simple arithmetic - you arrive on the first night at one, and if nothing is changed in terms of free time, then on the second night you arrive at two o'clock, and on the third - at three. As a result, people have parsley with tickets from St. Petersburg. Although everyone paid for the tour, and everyone was on an equal footing.

And all that was needed was to reduce free time and look for detours where roadworks are going on.

After this trip, due to the behavior of the guide, on which so much depends, there were extremely negative impressions. On the previous trip, with Kryukova, everything was wonderful and without overlays. More people from the group praised Denis Zotkin and tours with ferries. Those who have something to compare with were unhappy.

Although, of course, someone was satisfied. There will certainly be those who, for their own money, will happily endure carelessness, irresponsibility, incompetence and disorganization.

And yes, your opinion about Ilona may not coincide with mine. But perhaps on your tour, she actually performed her duties better. Whether you choose to travel with this guide or not is up to you.

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