Tapestry Holidays

For several years, as a party of between 12 to 16 we have booked a Turkey Gulet holiday with Tapestry. Last year we were unable to secure the gulet we wanted so were advised to book early for this year 2011. As soon as they had availability (Sep 2010) we paid just under a £2000 deposit for a seven cabin gulet for 13 guests. Seven months later(Apr 2011) with no warning they cancelled the holiday and sent a £50 voucher (one voucher not thirteen)as compensation. It has taken several days to get our deposit back. Apparently the gulet is not sea worthy but there has been absolutely no effort on their behalf to find us another and our flights were also cancelled. Fortunately and quite easily we found another gulet but the flights were considerably more expensive than they would have been seven months ago. Tapestry has shown absolutely no interest in resolving this for us. Be warned.

We travelled with Tapestry Holidays in October to the Tezcan Hotel in Dalyan Turkey. We paid £700 each for one week stupidly believing everything they said in their brochure.The hotel was a joke from start to finish,there was four staff, no cook, the pool was filthy, you couldn't see the bottom, no pool bar, dreadful breakfast, surly manager,the list goes on. On hearing our complaints they offered us £100 each in compensation,stating this was more than generous considering our flights from Glasgow were so expensive,and lets not forget the rickety minibus that transfered us to the hotel.

So beware anyone travelling with this company you are not paying for a Boutique Hotel with professional staff,only very expensive flights on cheap airlines. They have not even bothered to acknowledge any of my subsequent e-mails. The one star I gave for customer service was for the pleasant young man who booked our holiday. For a company that markets themselves the way they do, they are a disgrace, they are not interested in their customers only in misleading them.

I would thoroughly recommend Tapestry Holidays. Everything from booking the holiday to the flights (rubbish airline, but got some good seats luckily) to the accommodation and the location was enjoyable. I was most impressed with them, as I have travelled a lot, and they are very professional. I was most surprised however, to find today that they have ceased trading. I have no idea why, and it is a great shame.

Tapestry Holidays used to be top class but we've noticed over the past couple of years that they seem to be getting more "commercial" and becoming more like the mainstream tour operators, instead of the more upmarket company they used to be. We've travelled to Greece and Turkey with them 8 times since 2000 and notice that their excursions are now taking in such delights as the Fethiye Gold Centre! OK if you regularly go on holiday with the intention of spending hundreds of pounds on jewellery, but very boring if you don't. We travelled independently to one of their former properties in May this year and met their former Area Manager, who was "made redundant" last September. Apparently her staff knew of this fact before she did and the general opinion in the resort we stayed in was that Tapestry had slipped a bit. In fact they still owe money from last season to our hotel owner!

We have been on holiday with Tapestry Holidays 3 times. The first to Fiscardo, Cephalonia in 2002, and it was brilliant. The second to the Trapazaki Hotel, Cephalonia in 2004, which was also very good. They have since taken the Trapazaki off their list, which is a shame, as it is a truly magical hotel and highly recommended.

I have just come back from the third; to Aghios Stephanos on Corfu. A villa billed as for 6 adults, but quite honestly. it was only suitable for four + young children. Not overly impressed. Local staff were very good, but I just feel that Tapestry is losing it's way, and that is a shame.

I would go with them again, but with some severe questions before booking.

My son went to Pelion last year and was quite satisfied.

We love the places Tapestry Holidays travel to. However, the airlines they use for some of their Greece destinations are awful! Not only are they very old planes, the flight times aren't great either. We won't be booking through them again until they sort out their flights.

Tapestry holidays. Nice brochure, and well marketed through a large national newspaper.

Went to Pelion on Excel. Terrible.

Hired a car through Tapestry. More expensive than hiring locally.

Jaunt cancelled.

I can understand the negative comments below wholeheartedly.

Wouldn't go with them again.

We used Tapestry last year to go to Turkey. The property was amazing, and the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. We had such a good time that we decided to stay an extra week. The price was outstanding for the quality of property and service that we received. We have recommended Tapestry to many of our friends.

I would hate for anyone to be put off Tapestry holidays by the two negative reviews here, so just a few words to represent the hundreds of satisfied customers mentioned below. I've been abroad with quite a few travel companies, and Tapestry in my opinion is by far the best. Nothing was too much trouble for their staff, and I shall certainly be using them again in the future.

Don't let the gloss of Tapestry's brochures fool you.

They use cheap airlines, cheap buses, cheap airports etc.

They say they provide nice finishing touches such as milk and bottles of water. However most of these can be picked up for a matter of pence locally. Hardly justifies the added cost.