Brightwater Holidays

We were on the Tour of the Outer Hebrides. We had a great experience, in no small part due to the excellence of the tour manager and driver.

Noted a comment on taking coaches on A814 by a local person who didn't know the facts: When the A82 was blocked and the POLICE divert you onto that road you do as instructed not what a you know are tight roads but they only way to your destination as intructed by officials. We know this route is not suitable for large vehicles but the driver does as instructed by someone in authority.

We went to The Outer Hebrides in September and it was a really well organised and varied experience. We had an outstanding tour guide/manager and coach driver to make the entire trip seamless. Lovely visits and lots of useful information and choices. An unforgettable holiday

Had a great holiday to Shetland and Orkney with guide Alison. She was great, along with driver Ian were a dream team!

Fantastic holiday website - Can't wait until next month to travel with them around Scotland 🥂🥂🥂

I booked with this tour company after a personal recommendation, and had a super holiday in the Outer Hebrides. Excellent tour guide, pleasant company, wonderful destinations. You won't be disappointed!

We've just been on a Scottish steam break , which was magical, we stopped for fish and chips and it was some of the tastiest we've ever eaten, we went on to the waverly steam boat, again amazing, we then visited the only rotating boat lift in the world, the Falkirk wheel totally amazing engineering and so quite we hardly knew we were moving, we had a sail on the Rob Roy 111, Our guide Alisdair and our bus driver Charles made our holiday all more better, they showed us soo many lochs and mountains I loose count, I never realised just how beautiful Scotland is. We've already decided Scotland is where we want to visit next year.

North Costa Rica February 2022.
Amazing trip in everyway !
A country with beautiful fauna and flora , friendly people with a large diversity from low lands to mountains, an advanced ecosystem and even a tolerable heat due to a breeze from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Not forgetting our great and knowledgeable guides Julia and Margharita.
Thank you Brightwater for a memorable time . " Pura Vida "

Outer Hebrides. Wonderful very knowledgeable tour guide and excellent hotels. Thoroughly recommend.

On September 11, we embarked on a 10 day, Brightwater Holidays Tour to visit the Gardens of the Northern Italian Lakes. Having been to Italy a number of times, but never to the lake area, we were excited about experiencing the gardens, villas and countryside that this region offers. The trip exceeded our expectations in every way.
We spent 3 days in Como on Lago di Como in the Barchetta Excelsior hotel which was centrally located and served as our base for visiting several attractions including Villa Carlotta, Villa Balbianello, Villa d' Este and Villa Melzi all exquisite in all respects. A visit to Bellagio allowed us to experience the village and grab something light for lunch.
Four days were spent at Lake Garda at the Grand Hotel, an exceptional, lakeside hotel that personifies the word "Grand" for sure. Visits to the villa and garden at Il Vittoriale degli Italiani at the eccentric former home of Gabriele d' Annunzio, the whimsical, Andre Heller Botanical Garden and Villa Cavazzo, with its private gardens, on privately owned, Isola del Garda filled our days. A trip to a lemon house in Tignale and a visit to the quaint village of Gargnano rounded out our stay in Garda before leaving for Stresa on Lake Maggiore.
Prior to our arrival in Stresa, a stop was made in Desenzano to visit the ruins and some floor mosaics of a Roman villa. A stop at Erbusco, in the Franciacorta basin, to tour the Bellavista winery and taste their wines was included along the way. Our stay in Stresa was also lakeside at the Hotel LaPalma, a modernized, vintage hotel with a fabulous Skybar providing unobstructed views of the lake and area.
Our remaining 3 days were spent on Lake Maggiore and included visits to the botanical gardens of Villa Taranto, containing specimens collected from all over the world by the Scotsman Neil McEachem, a day trip visit to the lesser lake of Orta San Giulio included a visit to a 12th century island Basilica and a stroll up the Unesco World Heritage Site of the Sacred Mount on a hillside overlooking Lake Orta. An afternoon trip away from Lake Maggiore took us to the Villa Cicogna Mozzoni where a tour of the villa and gardens by its owner, Iacopo Cicogna Mozzoni, underscored the importance and urgency of preserving a family’s beautiful, frescoed, historic home and terraced gardens with limited funds and support was evident. Visits to the Borromean Islands of Bella and Madre allowed visits to their respective gardens and villas. They were truly exquisite.
The tour, with its choice of sites to visit, the accommodations, the food, the lake and land transportation experiences was outstanding. The precision travel logistics and the depth and richness of this trip could not have been realized without our Brightwater Tour guide, Kate Williamson, whose depth of knowledge, insight, historical anecdotes and humor, were expressed with a great degree of passion and enthusiasm. This traveler has experienced many, many tour guides but none as exceptional as Kate.

An excellent short break by mini-coach to London, choosing less well-known but fascinating attractions.

A few years since having a holiday with brightwork but would definitely recommend using them. The whole experience was fantastic.

Well organised and enjoyable in every way

First class holidays & toure guides with great locations & hotels.

Recent (September 2023) Scottish holiday not so good. Various 'issues' to do with scheduling and organisation. I'm happy to report however that - after an interval - a letter expressing disappointment brought a full response - including a generous refund. So - with fingers slightly crossed - we'll be booking with Brightwater again in due course.