Reviews

We’re proud of the service we deliver to our customers and are delighted to welcome so many of them back for return visits.

Here’s a collection of some of the great reviews and feedback we’ve received from press and public.

If you’ve got anything you’d like to add, we’d love to hear from you… you can leave a review or comment at the bottom of the page, get in touch via Facebook or Twitter, or contact us the old-fashioned way.

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Customer reviews

Dr Mike Davies (right) with Dragon Tours customers
Dr Mike Davies (right) with Dragon Tours customers

 

Absolutely the Best

When my wife and I arranged a two week tour of Wales and Shropshire with Mike in April/May 2018 we were not sure what to expect but hoped it would be a great experience. WOW! As background to my comments my wife and I have travelled extensively throughout the world over the past 35 years utilizing large group tours, small group tours, study tours, cruises, river cruises, and independent travel. Needless to say we have had a lot of local guides and tour directors. Mike is in a class by himself!

The tour we arranged was a modified version of Mike’s 10 day tour of Wales with a few nights in Shropshire added to visit specific locales connected to my family. I will not go into details of what we saw but rather focus on the meticulous planning and attention to detail that Mike used to ensure a truly customized trip. During the planning process we identified sites or types of sites in which we were particularly interested. Mike took our list that included Druid/Celtic sites, castles, architecture, art, stained glass, and historic lifestyle and planned a tour that gave us all of that. More amazing was the adaptability, flexibility and breadth of knowledge he displayed as evidenced by sudden ‘detours’ when he thought of something else in which we might be interested. A simple comment or question could trigger a whole new experience being added to the itinerary. Throughout the tour his judgement of what we might like to see and his sense of how long we would likely spend at a site were impeccable. Oh, did I mention that his historical knowledge was cyclopedic, but always delivered in a manner that was entertaining and often funny, no dry history from Mike!

The planning for accommodations was as meticulous as the planning of the actual tour. Mike has lists of accommodations arranged by price level from which you can pick and choose. The tour lends itself to multiple nights in some locations which reduced the packing and unpacking. We indicated that our preference was to stay in historic coach houses or other locations with historical or architectural significance or uniqueness. The only problem was that there were so many if was hard to decide where to stay, every place we chose was exceptional in one or more ways- location, historical significance, architectural significance, period furnishings, local ‘charm’ and so forth. Using Mike’s list we were able to investigate the possibilities and decide not only on a particular property but on actual specific rooms!

The only problem with going on a tour with Mike and Dragon Tours is that nothing else will ever compare! I recommend Mike and Dragon Tours to you without reservation.

Rodney and Mary Lee, Alberta, Canada

[email protected]

Dr Berwyn E Jones, President Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project

“I thought I knew Wales, but Mike showed me things I never dreamt of, and explained their fascinating historical significance. And it was FUN!

“The greatest tour I have ever taken. Mike is a terrific guide. Mike’s knowledge of Welsh history made this much more than a sightseeing tour; it was an education.”

The Renfro/McMurtry Family 

“Mike Davies and Dragon Tours far exceeded our expectations. Mike is an extremely knowledgeable guide with expertise in Welsh history, ancient and modern. He navigates with consummate ease the sometimes challenging Welsh highways and byways. He is friendly, helpful, and allows travellers to see sights and locations they might otherwise miss.

“His flexibility in planning our trip was greatly appreciated, as was his professional expertise in choosing comfortable and interesting accommodation. We would highly recommend Dragon Tours for anyone seeking a unique, tailored Wales experience.”

Ruth and Roger Ralph, Maine, USA 

“I just wanted to thank you once again for the really wonderful tour. It was everything I hoped for and more! Your knowledge of Welsh history – and your making it live by telling us about it and then showing us places where history happened – was phenomenal!

“We loved every moment. We appreciate that the tour didn’t end until you left us at the hotel in Birmingham! We wish you every good thing for your future, and hope we can meet again.”

Mr & Mrs Tooley, Seattle, USA (Seattle Tour Operators)

“We have been selling holidays to England, Scotland and Ireland for the last 20 years. We have only ever used Wales as a stop-over but this is the most picturesque countryside we have seen in the British Isles.”

Tom & Jean West, Iowa, USA (tracing their family tree)

“Mike, again, thanks for making our trip very successful in all ways. Is it too early to make a reservation for next April? Seriously, we have had time to think our trip over and we would like to do another next year.”

Vic & Cyn Hibbert, Namibia, Africa

“Hallo Mike, greetings from Namibia. Just a short note to thank you most sincerely for the wonderful visit to Wales we spent with you. We really enjoyed very much seeing parts of your beautiful country and learning about some of its history, culture and traditions.

“Thank you too for your friendliness and all the trouble you took to ensure that we had such a successful trip, we appreciate it very much. One day, if we are able, we will return to Wales so that you can show and teach us more.  The personal attention and effort combined with the beauty and secrets of Wales make Dragon Tours a highly recommendable experience.”

Jane Luellen & Christie Triplett, Kansas, USA

“We loved our stay in Wales, what a beautiful country. When we got to London, we were very glad our stay there was short. It didn’t compare to the time we spent in Wales. You made it all so great and accessible – what would we have done without you?”

Gretchen & Missy Andeel, New York, USA

“Recently I took a trip with my mother to the UK and we spent three days with an incredible tour guide named Mike Davies. We fondly called him Dr Mike.

“Dr Mike has a PhD in history and possesses a huge amount of knowledge about Wales and about the entire United Kingdom. He was a vast resource of information to us while we were there, and he took us on a lovely, exciting tour full of sights as well as stories, and I feel that we owe much of the enjoyment of our trip to Mike’s involvement with us.”

Judy Oatis and Judy Nally, New England, USA 

“Thank you for the wonderful trip, you really do a great service. Those tour buses have trouble on the A roads, never mind having them do more scenic routes. No wonder most tours through Wales take one day!!! It is a spectacular country and needs to be seen correctly.”

Katherine Kidder. Maine, USA

“Just wanted to send you a quick note to say hello and to thank you once again for a great time in Wales. It really was extra-special and I keep telling people it was truly a spiritual experience!”

Warren & Lynne Renton, Western Australia

“Prior to booking our [five-day package tour] tour with Mike, we were impressed after reading some of the comments on his website regarding his tours, and liking the idea of a small group, we took the plunge so to speak. We weren’t disappointed.

“We found Mike to be an extremely knowledgeable, interesting and accommodating tour guide – very easy to relate to. We had such a wonderful week in Wales. Being off peak season meant there were only three in the group, plus Mike, and we were really impressed that he was happy to still do the tour for such a small number. We would happily recommend Mike to anyone wishing to visit Wales. Thanks Mike.”

TripAdvisor, 25 July, 2013:

Re: without a car in north Wales

We have toured for 14 days in Wales and Cornwall with Mike Davies of Dragon Tours. Mike is a gracious and most knowledgeable guide, and a wonderfully safe driver. I can recommend his service without reservation. I guess the best way to recommend Mike is to say that we plan to travel with him again.

Joanne, August 2013

Client travel blog and pictures

Ten-day private tour, April/May 2015. Williams/Evans family history tour:

Hi Mike,

I had no idea what a treasure we were getting when we met you at Manchester, but the first clue was the CROESO plate on your Dragon Wagon. I immediately checked off ‘Attention to detail’ on the evaluation page at the end of my notebook. Before long that page had to be re-titled appreciation page; later, “This guy is amazing!”

Here are some of the other rubrics I checked:

Calm in an emergency.

Professional.

Never loses his cool.

Personable.

Sense of humour.

Gets me.

‘Got’ ALL of us!

Can answer questions.

History.

Architecture.

Genealogy.

Pitches in and helps with everything.

Makes me feel safe.

Attentive to our comfort – snacks, photo ops, bathroom stops.

Managed to take us to everything on all three of our wish lists.

Chose scenic routes and historic high points we didn’t even know about.

And chose well.

Goes the extra mile.

Welsh cakes in Betws-y-coed.

Good restaurants everywhere.

Telford projects.

The oldest yew tree.

The potter.

The Ruthin Craft Centre.

The coastal drive.

Harlech Castle.

Driving through Conwy Castle.

BONUS: Brought along Llywelyn for his translation services.

BONUS: Both of them taught me Welsh words and pronunciation.

BONUS: When he doesn’t know a bird or flower, he says so (which is a big help).

I’m sure you noticed at first that I would look around and take pictures while you talked about each site; I hope you didn’t feel that you were casting pearls before swine. I hope you also noticed me realising daily how much I was learning from you, clinging to your side to make sure I didn’t miss a word, and filling my little notebook, 100 pages on both sides, before we parted.

And that parting! I was SO shocked to have to proceed without you! Somehow had not anticipated that at all. I did spend a happy day in the National Library, though, looking up Welsh ballads, and another shopping day with Val, and another riding the train across the country, sharing a seat with a man who worked at the National Library who told me the story of the fire two years ago.

Now that I’m home I’m retracing our daily routes on my map as I label my photos, and I’m revisiting some places online. Places like Llangollen – the Llangollen Canal, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Plas Newydd, the hilltop ruin and the Cistercian Valle Crucis abbey.

You’ve opened up another field of study for me.

While I wait to get your book, I’m going to tackle the John Davies history of Wales.

Many thanks

Linda Williams, Iowa, USA

“Because I am from Wales we visit often but this trip was special. Under Mike’s thoughtful guidance, we went to places that were off the tourist track and rich in history and cultural significance. Mike’s deep knowledge of Welsh history and culture greatly enhanced the venture.
He was was efficient and helpful without being intrusive. We will definitely recommend Dragon Tours to our friends who want to visit Wales”.

Robert and Gwenda Rice, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

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