Look No Further! This is the Tour!
My 13 year old daughter and I had the pleasure of taking the Normandy D-Day Trip small group tour while visiting Paris in April 25. We opted for a Monday tour with a total of 8 travelers. What an amazing day! Our tour guide, Celine, was an incredible guide right from the moment she met us at the van. She was hospitable and oh so knowledgeable about the events leading up to D-Day, the invasion itself as well as the after effects. I think my daughter and I learned more than we ever could have through any other venue.
The tour began with a cab being sent to meet us at our rented apartment (if you stay on the left bank which is where our apartment was located, they send a cab to retrieve you and take you to Paris City Vision to meet your group. A cab will also take you back at the end of the tour. If you stay on the right bank, your tour guide will pick you up and drop you off in the van). The ride to the Normandy beaches will take between 3-3.5 hours however a rest stop of about 25 minutes is built in. We visited Pointe du Hoc, made a brief stop at Omaha Beach for photos and a quick walk on the beach, and then traveled to the American Cemetery where we were given about an hour to explore on our own. To say the sights are incredible is an understatement...such an incredible experience. After the cemetery, we stopped for lunch...and not just any lunch. We stopped at Ferme de la Ranconniere, a 15th century farm now converted to a hotel/restaurant, where we had a fabulous three course lunch consisting of an appetizer, a game hen prepared authentically French, and a dessert. All 8 of us agreed the lunch was a pleasant surprise! A 20 minute stop in the village of Arromanches For souvenirs and photos was next and from there we stopped at Juno Beach
A wonderful day and I highly recommend the small group tour as opposed to the large tour bus!
| Rating: |  |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Packages: | Small Group Normandy D-day Day Trip from Paris with Omaha Beach and Lunch | ||
| Attended as: | Families | ||
| Posted on: | 2016/05/23 | ||
| Activity Date: | 2016/04/25 | ||
| See individual review | |||
Helpful
Loved the Guided Diamond Head Hike!
The Diamond Head Hike was one of our favorite activities on Oahu! My 13 year old daughter and I booked this hike and, while we could have done it alone, I'm glad we were part of a group. We were picked up at our hotel and taken to diamond head. Our guide was friendly and helpful....I have to note that while he walked with the group, everyone climbed at their own pace...some were way ahead and others followed up from behind but we had meeting points at the mid way range and then at the top to be sure we had everyone. Our group was great and everyone watched out for one another. The climb itself is not overly difficult. There were people of all ages climbing. There are stopping points to take breaks if needed. Of course coming down is easier than going up!! Once we were down, our guide allowed time for the restroom and to grab a bottle of water if needed. Upon boarding the van for the return back to the hotel, we were all given our own individual 'I climbed Diamond Head' certificate which can be personalized and framed...my daughter loved this! I'd highly recommend this tour. I'd also recommend to book the early morning climb as it was getting very hot by 8:30 as we were finishing up. You'll also want a bottle of water.
| Rating: | |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Attended as: | Families | ||
| Posted on: | 2015/09/06 | ||
| See individual review | |||
Helpful
Fantastic Airport Lei Greeting!
This is an excellent idea and I'd highly recommend the lei greeting! As promised, the representative was waiting just outside our gate with our leis. The hospitality didn't end there as our rep walked with us to baggage claim, secured a porter for us and then found our hotel transfer van for us. She waited with us until we were on the van to our hotel. She would not accept a tip saying it was her pleasure to help. The leis come with a gift bag containing chocolates and care instructions for the leis. We kept ours in our hotel refrigerator and after 12 days we were able to take them home to show others....they still were beautiful and fragrant!
| Rating: | |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Attended as: | Families | ||
| Posted on: | 2015/09/06 | ||
| See individual review | |||
Helpful
Fantastic Beach Day!
This was a great beach day at Kailua Beach! We were picked up by mini van right at our hotel and taken to a small plaza containing the water sports store sponsoring the activity. The people in the store were pleasant and showed us the lockers and gave us our vouchers for the included lunch. Also included was the use of boogie boards and beach chairs. The beach is a short walk from the plaza so keep in mind that you will need to carry things with you. Towels not included so be sure to bring your own! The beach itself is gorgeous and clean with that beautiful blue iridescent water! We set up shop under a tree and were happy there all day. There are facilities at the beach. While the food places were open at 10:00 AM, we chose to wait until 12:30 to eat. We opted for the pizza and drink. The pizza was the closest to true NY style we had in Hawaii...we were very impressed! It says one slice however the slice is actually a quarter of a very large pie and they cut it in two for you so it is two good sized slices! At the end of the day we headed back to the store and turned in our beach things we had borrowed and browsed the gift shop. A great day!
Thank you for your feedback, Mrs. D! We are so happy that you took advantage of our different options and had a great beach day here in Kailua. Mahalo!
| Rating: | |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Attended as: | Families | ||
| Posted on: | 2015/09/06 | ||
| See individual review | |||
Helpful
Aloha Mrs. D,
We are thrilled that this hike was something you and your daughter both enjoyed! Your kind words and Great review mean a great deal to us, and your pictures turned out fantastic! The group support experience and educational part of the tours is exactly why we love our Diamond Head hike as well, and to be able to share that with Visitors makes it all worthwhile. Join us again for another adventure the next time you are in Oahu!
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Oahu Nature Tours