Our second trip through Holiday Architects. This time, 23 days touring Japan. Emma did a wonderful job; helping to plan our trip, listening to our ideas and giving her suggestions. We stayed in 10... See more
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Since launching in 2010 Holiday Architects has set out to really listen to our clients – we get to know you, we get to know your travel needs and we design the perfect holiday to match. By operating in this manner, and avoiding the standard off-the-shelf packages offered by many other travel companies, we’ve become one of the fastest-growing and most-trusted tour operators in the UK. Underpinning all of this is the expertise of our team: each committed to servicing their specialist destination, backed up with a dedicated country website packed full of unique hotels, quirky excursions and engaging holiday suggestions. Every one of our team has visited their destination many times (often even lived there), has many years’ experience in the travel industry and is carefully chosen to fit with our friendly and helpful team culture. This means when discussing your travel plans, you’ll have the peace of mind that you’re not only speaking to a genuine expert but a real person who cares about you and your holiday. We believe we are better than anyone else at listening to your travel aspirations and turning them into perfectly designed holidays, but of course that is not always easy to substantiate, which is why we were extremely proud in 2019 to be named Wanderlust magazine’s ‘Top Tour Operator of the Year’, for the second year running, gaining a 100% satisfaction rating from their readers. Competition at these awards is fierce, so winning brings us a great deal of pleasure and pride as it means we have lots of very happy clients!
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Star Lodge, Montpellier Drive, GL50 1TY, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
- 01242 253 073
- info@holidayarchitects.co.uk
- holidayarchitects.co.uk
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Amazing trip to Japan
Our first holiday to Japan was planned with attention to every detail. Fenton went above and beyond to make our trip truly memorable. He had first hand knowledge of where to be and what to avoid. The trip was successfully tailored to having teenagers and although everything was planned in advance, nothing felt forced or prescriptive. We had an authentic trip, learning about Japan whilst covering all the hot spots and places to be. We also saw things off the beaten track, like meeting a descendent of a great samurai in his family home or kayaking in Hiroshima bay completely solo without hordes of tourists. I can’t recommend this travel company more highly!

Reply from Holiday Architects
Magical Two Week Stay In Sri Lanka
Lisa Jankus-Scott arranged our two-week holiday in Sri Lanka which was full of unforgettable memories and many highlights.
We stayed in seven hotels across our stay and each were unique and exceeded our expectations. The food was consistently amazing, the people friendly and the holiday exceeded our expectations in every area.
We wouold strongly recommend jeep safaris, Lipton;s Seat and Lion's Rock trips.
Our time in Trincomalee wss blissful on a near empty beach with perect white sands.
Thank you Lisa for helping us have the holiday of a lifetime.
Martin & Nic.
Outstanding from start to finish
Outstanding from start to finish. Lisa was really flexible (and patient!) during the planning phase offering great insights and advice to shape our holiday.
The actual holiday was amazing, with just the right mix between using guides and our own free time. The guides we had were great, accommodation outstanding and all round organisation was excellent. Five stars, would definitely recommend.
Amazing Costa Rican Holiday
We can’t thank Dawn enough for going the extra mile and creating us the most amazing family holiday to Costa Rica which far exceeded our wildest expectations. As a bucket list destination for us, and with the challenge to balance the needs of both parents and a 12 and 10 year old, she really honed in on the details which made it feel extra special - from the fabulous accommodation (tree house in the rainforest a particular highlight) to the activities and guided nature walks which delighted us all and created so many wonderful memories. Her exhaustive pre- trip dossier including top tips, local activity and restaurant recommendations, and travel guidance (we were self driving) proved invaluable and really enhanced our experience and enjoyment of Costa Rica. Dawn and Holiday Architects come with our highest recommendation- thank you. Bill L and family.

Reply from Holiday Architects
You certainly get what you pay for..!
Hi Fenton,
There is a saying that goes, "you get what you pay for" - and our Japan trip through you epitomises just that.
I recall our first conversation where you really gave focus to the travelling party, ages, interests, travelling capabilities/getting around etc, which clearly enabled you to create a bespoke trip for us that we all felt comfortable with.
We had a brilliant time.
You provided us with basically 'an idiots guide'. So well prepared, structured and in such acute detail that it would have been difficult for us to make a wrong turning.
You provided us with hotels that were located superbly.
You recommended walking tours and cycle tours and the guides you contracted were absolutely first class. Not just in knowledge of their respective areas and excellent English - but they all portrayed a real warmth and interest in us as a family.
You also got us around Japan with ease in terms of travel docs and infinite detail.
The previous four sentences have all begun with the word 'you' - and that is because our wonderful trip could not have been possible without your expertise and guidance.
We certainly did indeed get what we paid for and should we decide to venture to another place for the first time, I will certainly be reaching out to Holiday Architects as a first port of call.
Thank you Fenton - you gave us all a holiday to remember.
Kind regards,
The Turner Family.

Reply from Holiday Architects
Ugandan Birding & Wildlife Watching Trip. Recently returned from a 17 day Birding…
Recently returned from a 17 day Birding and Wildlife adventure in Western Uganda. Everything went very smoothly and we spotted over 400 species of birds plus many varied animals. Highlights were the Mountain Gorillas - such a privilege and really close, Chimpanzees and not forgetting the stately, prehistoric Shoebill stork. For dedicated birdwatchers the Albertine Rift Endemics would probably be the highlight. Thanks to Catherine from H.A. for her extremely efficient management of the Trip. Catherine’s responses to queries were always rapid and her in depth knowledge of Uganda was impressive.
Thank you Holiday Architects.
Clive, Michelle and Molly

Reply from Holiday Architects
Family of 4 to Costa Rica - 5 stars!!
Our first trip using Holiday Architects and we would not hesitate to use them again.
Dawn organised a perfect, seamless family holiday for 4 people to Costa Rica.
We are well travelled and you expect something to go wrong, however, not on this one. All pick ups were on time, if not early, very courteous, helpful and friendly. All the staff at the 5 hotels we stayed at were the same and the food, accommodation and facilities were outstanding.
It was the perfect combination of wildlife encounters, comfort and family activities, something for everyone every day of the holiday. We will never forget this experience and once again would like to thank Holiday Architects and their partners, Swiss Travel, for 5 star exceptional service. We'll be in touch to plan next years trip!

Reply from Holiday Architects
Holiday of a lifetime
Fenton organised a real holiday of a lifetime for my family in Japan - perfect mix of activities, the right level of support snd great accommodation. Would book again in a heartbeat.

Reply from Holiday Architects
Mindblowing & life changing
The trip was amazing and the travel and tour arrangements seamless. Ian and the team were always at the end of the phone or email and got ahead of any query I had quickly. We made memories that will last a lifetime and Ian and the team made that possible for us without any of the stress and challenges of trying to organise a self directed itinerary. We will certainly use Holiday Architects again and are already planning our next adventure.

Reply from Holiday Architects
Another brilliant experience with Holiday Architects!
Just back from our 3rd holiday booked through HA and another brilliant experience - this time to Japan. Fenton put together a great itinerary that worked seamlessly with a great selection of hotels and trips, well thought through train tickets, an invaluable wifi router all 4 of us could use throughout the trip and a really useful self guide app. Having now booked holidays to Sri Lanka, Singapore & Malaysia and Japan through HA I would highly recommend them to everyone. We actually had to delay this trip by 2 years after my son had a bad accident and they were so supportive at the time which we were so grateful for. Great company and Fenton was brilliant on everything Japanese!!

Reply from Holiday Architects
Holiday in Morocco
We had a holiday in Morocco the itinerary being suggested by our consultant Rebecca was excellent. The quality of accommodation was very good and the suggestions made by Rebecca for cooking experiences was really enjoyable. Holiday Architects agents were first class with their driver of our private transport being excellent.
Our dealing with HA proved to be faultless and Rebecca was always very responsive and enthusiastic when ever we spoke or emailed her
All in all a 10 out of 10 experience

Reply from Holiday Architects
Amazing Trip
We had an absolutely fantastic two-week trip to Sri Lanka, and every aspect of the holiday exceeded our expectations. The itinerary was perfectly planned, giving us a wonderful balance of culture, wildlife, scenery, relaxation, and time to explore without ever feeling rushed.
The hotels were all exceptional, each with its own unique character, and every one was in an excellent location that made sightseeing and experiencing the local area incredibly easy. It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into selecting each property, and they really enhanced our overall experience.
A huge thank you to Rebecca at Holiday Architects for organising such a seamless and memorable holiday. From the initial planning through to the trip itself, everything ran smoothly, and the attention to detail was outstanding. We felt confident throughout that every arrangement had been carefully considered.
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Holiday Architects to anyone planning a trip to Sri Lanka. It was an unforgettable holiday, and look forward to planning our next adventure with them.

Reply from Holiday Architects
Couldn't be happier...
After a ton of research into different companies, we decided to book our trip to Namibia with Holiday Architects. It was the best decision ever! Not only was the service we received from Kirsty and the extended team personal and absolutely brilliant, the overall cost was extremely competitive. If you are thinking of going to Namibia - just do it. If you are thinking of using Holiday Architects - just do it. You'll have a trip of a lifetime.

Reply from Holiday Architects
Trip to Namibia
Recently returned from a fantastic trip to Namibia arranged through Kirsty Leggate at Holiday Architects. The itinerary met all of our wish list in terms of locations and activities and the accommodation choices were superb, which is a real testament to Kirsty's knowledge of and love for Namibia. The local support agents for airport transfers, insider knowledge and car hire were all great too!

Reply from Holiday Architects
Amazing service
I’ve just returned from Vietnam. If i could give more than 5 stars I would. These guys are a class act and redefine what excellent service feels like. From start to finish it has been a pleasurable experience and their on the ground support from EXO was incredible. I won’t use anyone else to book my next long haul holiday.

Reply from Holiday Architects
The best travel agent I've ever dealt with
This is the second time I have booked a holiday with HA, and it won't be the last. The service from beginning to end is simply excellent, starting with the initial phone call where information gathering takes place on what you want from your holiday, through to refining the smallest details so that your trip is exactly what YOU want. This is not a package tour where one trip fits all, this is a bespoke service where the holiday is planned around what you, the customer, wants.
Special mention has to go to Catherine Williams, the Africa consultant, who was brilliant at rearranging our trip to the greater Kruger from January to June, after the floods destroyed the trip.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Holiday Architects to anyone wanting a trip tailor made to them.
Our location was the Timbavati and Klasserie private game reserves.

Reply from Holiday Architects
Friends referred us to Holiday Architects…Canadian Dream
Friends referred us to Holiday Architects and we are so glad they did. From the start of our planning last year to our arrival home, everything was just as they said it would be....A perfect trip to Canada. I spoke to Paul on the phone and explained just what we wanted to do in Canada and he arranged just that. We wanted to visit Jasper, Banff and around the Rockies. Everything was planned in the perfect order. Paul kept in touch via e mail with any up dates and called if we needed any advice. Our trip really was our dream holiday.
Sri Lanka in the times of Trump!
We just wanted to say thank you to Lisa for organising our brilliant holiday to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka.
Magical Japan!
We have recently returned from a two week trip to Japan, it was truly magical!
Fenton arranged the most unforgettable holiday as he has extensive knowledge and a love for Japan, so I knew that we were in good hands. Everything from the hotels, transport and tour guides were fantastic and we went to some truly memorable places. Some of the places and historic sites that we visited we wouldn't have found on our own as we went to some quieter and lesser known spots, those are the ones that I enjoyed the most.
Japan has been on my bucket list for many years and I was a little worried that it wouldn't live up to my extremely high expectations that I had built up in my head, but I was so wrong, it totally exceeded that and more and I felt emotional at times just being there!
Japan is so unique and I know that we will return and when we do it will be booked through Holiday Architects with more great advice and help from Fenton.
This is our second time that Fenton has organised a holiday for us and both times have been exceptional with great attention to detail and customer service second to none, what more can I say, but thank you for a truly memorable trip!
A 3 centre Morocco trip.
A 3 centre trip to explore some of Morocco : Marrakesh, The Atlas and the coast, taking in a bit of Desert on the way. The trip almost chose itself from Holiday Architects examples and Rebecca embelished it and added the overnight in the desert camp. The organisation was pretty faultless, everything was sorted as described, the local guides were all superb - everything that one could hope for. Rebecca sorted the one wrinkle (a local miscommunication) immediately and without demur so all round BRILLIANT. Only thing not perfect is that we only stayed in the stupendous desert camp for one night: should have gone for two... Food to die for and such tranquility and comfort and brilliant staff. Next time! Simply the best.
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