smarTours Reviews

Name: smarTours
Address: 500 7TH AVE, 8TH FL, NEW YORK, New York
Rating: 4.42

4.4 Rating 1,663 Reviews

86 %

of reviewers recommend smarTours

4.4

Based on 1,663 reviews

Customer Service
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Customer Service	3.8 out of 5

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Phone:

800-337-7773

Email:

info@smartours.com

Location:

500 7TH AVE, 8TH FL,
NEW YORK
New York
10018

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smarTours 5 star review on 14th December 2024

Diana Potts

smarTours 5 star review on 20th November 2024

Michael And

smarTours 5 star review on 12th October 2024

Michael And Bedelia Sachelari

765

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“SmarTours is very good. QUANTAS on the other hand was terrible. You need to find another airline!...........Constructive advise: It would be nice to have had the opportunity for a tour of JUST Australia, and another one (before or after the chosen dates) of JUST New Zealand. We would have seen more, had the chance to have more time in our favorite places......and had the chance to 'add on' the other country if we wanted. Keeping the trip we just experienced, and adding these other choices would really go over and above what anyone else is offering.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“The trip to New Zealand and Australia were amazing! I would suggest adding a day to each location to be able to explore more. Going that distance from the USA and all the different places to see in country there is just not enough time. So instead of 19 days it would be 25 or so!”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Our Egyptologist guide, Dina, was a marvel. She enthused the entire trip with her knowledge and love of country. The trip exceeded my expectations, with the exception of the airline controlled timing of the excursion to Abu Simbel. Our time there was frenetic and unfortunately brief. That information was not included in pre-trip sales details. The Movenpick boat was fabulous, and the treasures of antiquity amazing to see.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Felt like we were not given all options on some of the extras like taking gondola up and having the buffet. The dinner was not good and we were crammed in so tight you couldn't get out comfortably to get food. There was an option to just take the gondola up and not have dinner for much cheaper but we were not told about this option. Would have been better with a tour guide from the countries we traveled in instead of from the states. I had never been on a tour of this type so maybe my expectations were too high. We had trouble with several of our flights so felt like we lost one whole day of our trip. After we got to our destinations the optional tours were priced higher (sometimes up to $40 ) then the final papers that smart tours had given us just two weeks before the trip. This may have been because of the difference in currency but I feel this should be explained better than what it was. We were dropped off at several different places and told to find our way back to hotels. I felt our tour guide talked down to us and in my opinion she wasn't very personal or approachable. The first hotel we stayed at my sheets and bedspread were stained. I should have complained at the hotel but didn't. It was a nice hotel and everything else was good. The breakfast buffets had lots of choices and very decent foods. The bus drivers were very nice and informative. The farm stay was one of the highlights of the trip. I was not looking forward to it but ended up having a great time there.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Overall, the South Africa tour was INCREDIBLE and our tour guide, JEREMY POOLE was organic, knowledgeable, incisive, passionate, and patient. Highlights included the natural beauty of South Africa, interacting with the cheetahs in Hsuhsului Preserve, seeing the BIG FIVE in one afternoon, and all things Mandela—from visiting his home in Soweto to going to the apartheid museum, and then, on an optional trip to Pretoria, seeing the courthouse he was held in and the cell where he wrote the Freedom Charter on the wall. Negatives were as follows: 1–the small van we were in for most of the tour. We were told that we would have a BUS that had bathroom facilities on it. However, because there were only 12 on this tour, I guess that SmarTours decided to economize and we had a van that could seat 15 people, albeit uncomfortably. Two seats were situated over the wheel well, which made it difficult for anyone to sit there. Additionally, the seats were uncomfortably narrow, and the seatbelts dug into the bones of my rear. Two people on this trip suffered from Crohn’s disrase and one had an episode on the bus. It took a while to find a restroom for him, and while he remained good natured, if the bus had the promised facilities, he would not have had to go through this public embarrassment. For the last two days of the trip, in Johannesburg, we had the promised bus and then on the optional tour—with only seven of us—we had a van which had much wider comfortable seats (and a narrower aisle—which was a much better use of space.) 2–while the hotel in Cape Town was lovely and modern, it was in a HORRIBLE section of town. I was traveling with another woman, and when the hotel manager asked us our evening plans—which would have involved walking two blocks—he advised against it, and offered us a ride in the hotel limo—suggesting that we call him when we finished dinner so he could send a car to bring us home. The amount of homeless and drug addicts around the hotel was appalling. Needless to say, my friend and I opted for a restaurant across the street from the hotel—where Mr Poole wound up dining as well. The presence of so many security guards and warnings sent out red flags. Yet despite the precautions, an unbalanced homeless woman somehow got into the grounds and into the pool where she yelled for hours. Once I determined she was not being attacked, I went to bed, but several others on the tour were kept awake until the fire department took her away in an ambulance around midnight. 3- Swaziland. Why did we go there??! And the hotel was HIDEOUS. Mildew, tipped carpeting, stains on just about everything...disgusting in every way. I don’t know who awards stats but this one shouldn’t have any.”

smarTours 4 star review on 27th February 2019

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Posted 6 years ago

“We were fortunate to have as our South Africa tour guide the very knowledgeable and personable Jeremy Poole. Our February 2019 trip was just magical! We learned and saw so much. It was our first SmarTours trip but it will not be our last. We cannot recommend this too much -- great value!!”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Not happy to wake up at 1:30 am to catch plane. All staff connected to the tour was very friendly and helpful. Good security provided in Egypt. Food on Royal Lily was very good.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Our Colombia tour was excellent. From Bogota to Cartagena we were enthralled by the luscious green countryside and sky scraping mountains. The history of the country was covered in detail from the period of colonization to the present. Our tour leader and local guides were very knowledgeable about all aspects of their society, history, economy, government and so on. All of them spoke English well and had great personalities. Highly recommended.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“The tour of New Zealand and Australia were enlightening. Betty, our tour director, was excellent with directions and keeping us all informed about each days events and times. Betty even arranged scuba diving for me in Cairns and Ziplining in Queenstown, New Zealand. The homestay in New Zealand was a bonus to this trip. I could have stayed longer. Our hotels were excellent and in central locations for easy walking. This was my 11th Smartours trip and I have already booked two more.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“I believe SmarTours need to include all expenses in the total cost. Too many expense after arriving to include the tips. Too many mornings up by 1:00 or 5:00 am to get to see everything. We felt rush throughout the trip with little or no personal time to rest.”

smarTours 4 star review on 25th February 2019

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Posted 6 years ago

“Tommy our Tour director was great. The Hotel in Hue was not poor, not what was expected, as well as the food, we did not know exactly what we were eating. The terrible experience at the VIP Lounge in Shanghai was not acceptable, they did not speak English, they were not expecting us, they did not know how to charge us using our credit cards, the food was not good at all. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“We want to RELAX on our vacations. Old perhaps. The tour guide Fernando is a MASTER OF EXPERTISE. The rest of the tour guides are o.k.....very friendly of course. I found that to often the people of S America were out to cheat us.....short change us...etc......of course not your team. We`re going to stick to cruises. Now the Columbia trip was less stressful....and had more stuff to shop for so that was a bit better. Keith/ Dorothy”

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Posted 6 years ago

“This was our fifth SmarTour. For the first time I felt ripped off with the Abu Simbel tour. The very short flight or nothing else justified the $335 cost. We were hurried thru the exhibits. Even if we had more time, it was way overpriced. Many other participants felt as I do. It should be included with at least four hours spent there as a stopover on the way to Aswan.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Excellent itinerary and extraordinary guides.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“Smartours covers all important things to see plus gives enough free time to be able to explore on your own.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“First of all Smart Tours must update web pages and tour brochures which are so outdated. We did the Passage to India with Bonita Backer. She was beyond suburb. So much knowledge and so much passion. Tended to each and everyones' needs. She really made the trip. Have not seen current events posted. Windyshe@aol.com”

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Posted 6 years ago

Hi Shelia - we hear you. We will be launching a completely new website in a few weeks which will solve much of the outdated information you mention. We're also redesigning the tour documents that you receive before you depart. Please bear with us, improvements are coming! We're glad you enjoyed your trip and tour guide!

Posted 6 years ago

“We went on the India and Nepal Tour. So very wonderful. Would not have been so wonderful without the enthusiasm and and knowledge of our wonderful guide Bonita Backer.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“This was our first trip with SmarTours and we were pleasantly surprised at how organized it was. This was due to our guide, Shawn. He was incredibly organized and went out of his way to make this a memorable experience for all of us. I would like to suggest that you let travelers know ahead of time the amount of small US bills they will need for tips,etc. . We weren't quite prepared for that. The optional tours that Shawn set up for us were as good as those included in the package. Our only complaint is with South Africa Airlines. I will never fly with them again. On our flight to SA we were fed, the lights turned off, and never saw an attendant again for 12 hours. It wasn't any different on the return flight. There was food available at the galley but you had to know it was available. Unnecessary!!! Other than the length of the flight, I would do this trip again and will promote it whenever I can.”

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Posted 6 years ago

“was a fantactic time and our guide was wonderful”

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Posted 6 years ago

“We recently returned from ICELAND with our first trip with smarTours. Everything far exceeded our expectations. Our airfare was included and we flew on ICELANDAIR which was incredible. Our guide Oli was with us every step of the way and was very helpful and knowledgeable. Chosen hotels and meals represented local culture. Our only recurring question: how can Smartours give so much while costing so little?.. We are in the process of planning our next trip and would recommend smarTours without reservation!💕”

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Posted 6 years ago

smarTours is rated 4.4 based on 1,663 reviews