Latest client feedback

We just got back from our Australian adventure yesterday and just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and the B&W team for organising such a superb vacation for us.

We covered so much Australian ground in such a short space of time but we never felt rushed and the itinerary worked perfectly. All the accommodation was great and we were particularly impressed with the trips you organised. Each one
was brilliant, with really informed guides, tiny groups (in fact we were the only ones at Sydney Harbour) and exceptionally good quality food, drink and transport (particularly the Synergy reef trip which was truly fabulous).

Thanks once again, it was a trip of a lifetime. JS

Fancy Christmas and New Year in Australia?

Escape our winter with a perfect 2 week break Downunder. YES there is still availability for flights and accommodation (even in Sydney for New Year) as long as you can be flexible with your dates and not expect to fly home in the first few days of January.

We have a suggested 2 week package from £3140 per person for departures from 10 – 23 December or from £2940 for departures from 24 – 31 December 2008.

The package includes international flights into Melbourne and out of Sydney with domestic flights up to the Whitsunday Islands, all private transfers and 4 star accommodation including 3 nights in Melbourne at the Crown Promenade, 5 nights at the Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island, 4 nights at the Amora Jamison in Sydney and 2 nights at Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains, we’ve also included a small group tour along the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne and 3 days car hire in the Blue Mountains.

Of course this is purely a suggestion and our consultants would be happy to create a tailor-made itinerary suited to your plans.

Don’t hesitate to call 020 7483 6555 or email sales@bridgeandwickers.com to check availability for your dates.

Emirates News

Another one of our preferred airlines is Emirates - they fly to lots of gateway destinations in Australia & New Zealand, have some excellent fares including regular companion fares in business class and depart from various points around the UK including Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Manchester as well as Heathrow and Gatwick.

On December 1 2008, London will join the elite by being the second destination served by Emirates’ A380 airbus.

The new London to Dubai route is being introduced at this time of year to capitalise on the traffic boom from the UK in the run up to the festive season.

The aircraft configuration will entail 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flat bed seats in Business Class, and 399 seats in Economy Class.

Emirates has invested heavily in onboard features to ensure that its A380s are the finest, most comfortable in the sky.

The jewel in the aircraft’s crown is without a doubt the First Class Shower Spa, two fully equipped bathrooms in its First Class cabins, including shower facilities.

Passengers will also notice a difference in the Economy Class cabin, most notably the straight walls which give the impression of increased spaciousness. This feature, combined with the advanced mood lighting system and noticeably quieter cabin, works to combat the effects of jetlag.

If you would like some more information on flying Down Under with Emirates, please contact us online or call us on 020 7483 6555

Qantas A380...coming soon!

Qantas has confirmed the start of services by the Airbus A380 superjumbo in the new year. Flights from Heathrow will start on January 17 to Sydney via Singapore.

The delivery of the airline’s third A380 will see Qantas operate three return flights a week with the double deck aircraft.

Regional general manager UK, Ireland, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Stephen Thompson, said: “For our customers travelling to both Singapore and beyond to Australia, the A380 means extra space and comfort in every class.

“Qantas offers an all new suite in first class and a fully flat Skybed sleeper seat in business class.

“The aircraft features a 32 seat Premium Economy cabin and an all new the Economy Class seat featuring a sliding base that moves with the seat back to create a more comfortable, ergonomically tested position to aid sleep.”

He added: “In addition to giving us the opportunity to reinvent our product, this revolutionary new aircraft offered capacity and operating savings, as well as environmental improvements.”

The aircraft will offer passengers more than 100 on demand films, 350 television selections, 500 audio CDs, 30 PC-style games, and a selection of audio books, language tutorials, destination information, business education and radio channels.

If you are interested in being amongst the first to try out Qantas' new aircraft, please contact us with your holiday plans.

Down Under comes out on top again

Interesting news reports on the e-tid.com, a travel industry website who say that Australia has been crowned the world’s top country brand for the third consecutive year in the latest Country Brand Index (CBI).

Canada comes out second and the US third, followed by Italy, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, UK, Japan and Sweden.

The CBI is a study of 2,700 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries.

It examines how countries are branded and ranked according to key criteria and identifies emerging global trends in travel.

In the category ‘best brand to extend a business trip’, Australia, New Zealand and Scotland are the top three, while Canada, Spain and Denmark are the top three in the ‘best country brand for families’ category.

Bridge & Wickers couldn't agree more with all of the above, especially with regard to travel to Australia, New Zealand and Canada!

Take a look at our website for suggestions on how we can tailor-make your perfect holiday....and sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest long-haul destinations and news.

Luxury Travel Fair

Come and see us at the Conde Nast Traveller's Luxury Travel Fair.

Bridge & Wickers has a stand (D82) at the show, to be held at London's Olympia from November 6th to 9th, and we'd love to meet you there.

We'd also be more than happy to send you a VIP invitation, entitling you to complimentary entry to the event for two - just send us an email to events@bridgeandwickers.com

Latest Client Feedback

Here's some recent feedback the directors received from another very happy client reporting back on their recent trip to Canada.

"I can certainly see why your business has been voted in the top 10 in the country! My wife and I have recently returned from a fabulous trip to Canada that was organised through your immensely patient and skilled member of staff Ajanta South. From the very first moment that I contacted B&W via a Google search I was impressed, but when this turned into actually the planning and booking process, I had never experienced service to that level. Ajanta would take my calls, make changes and alterations, search for better prices, give me feedback from her own experiences and always be willing to see how she could help. The details of the trip were very clearly laid out in emailed itineraries with great links to attractions and accommodation along the way. She suggested things that we would never have thought of - such as Sea plane transfers - which completely changed the holiday and made it one of the best we have ever had.

Our holiday had everything in it - the weather was stunning with blue sky and abnormally high temps each day (thanks for arranging that!). We saw bears, whales, seals, sea lions, elk and even fed eagles! The scenery was stunning and the people so friendly. Our only issue now is how to edit down the 2500 pictures that we took! Digital cameras have a lot to answer for...

Overall I cannot express our gratitude and delight in using B&W enough. You are good at the essential stuff and excel at the critical non essentials that make the difference and give your business a definite usp over other tour operators I have used. An example being the welcome home letter and copy of 'The Week' which was a really nice touch.

My wife and I will certainly be using you again in the future for holidays to Canada and New Zealand and I would have no reservation in recommending you to colleagues and friends. In fact I have already told at least 5 friends about the service we received. We would like to wish you and your great team every success in these difficult times". A Stevenson.

If you'd like to see an example of the type of trip that we can organise for you in Canada, or indeed to any of our preferred destinations, please take a look at our website and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date with what we're doing at Bridge & Wickers and request one of our award-winning brochures.

Read David Wickers' latest piece on Nova Scotia following his recent trip...

Not only is Canada's Maritime province so easy to reach, just a six hour or so flight from home, but it offers a fascinating mix of Canadian pleasures within easy touring range. You could even go for a week and have a rewarding experience - although there's easily enough in this single region to justify a two week summer holiday.

Top of Nova Scotia's natural assets is scenery, both inland - which includes the Kejimkujik national park (a great place to go canoeing) - and the hugely scenic, shoreline reminiscent of Maine. Most iconic scenery is to be found at Cape Breton which alone has 1000 kms of shoreline.

Nova Scotia's coastal waters also offer whale watching (from Digby between May and October), the sight of the world's biggest tides, maritime heritage (including a museum in Halifax with a Titanic exhibition and a Scottish Heritage Centre where there’s an 80 foot vessel Hector that bought 200 Scots from the Highland Clearances, an incredible feat of human endeavour. Other heritage sites include the town of Lunenburg, with its World Heritage old gridded core of 18th and 19th century buildings Fortress Louisbourg important national historic site, a huge repro of what it would have looked like when in French hands in C18 and staffed by folk in period gear going about their French 18th century ways.
Other essential ingredients for a memorable holiday are also here in abundance, from terrific seafood (lobster a speciality) to vineyards, plus lots of interesting inns to stay.

For more details on Nova Scotia and to request a copy of our Canada brochure, please click here

Latest Australia holiday feedback

Read what one of our recent travellers has to say about his family's recent trip Down Under....

It was an extraordinarily good three weeks and all of the bookings worked seamlessly. The bottom line is that we will, without hesitation, use you again when travelling to Oz/East Asia.
The following are our particularly positive observations:

- the little 'free' additions at the Shangri La (high tea, cocktail happy hour, fab breakfasts) were truly appreciated (and very different from the approach of most 'first world' countries where every little thing goes onto the room account) and the service was so good that I wrote to the hotel separately to congratulate them on their superb standards

- we cannot imagine a better location in Sydney than Quay Grand Suites - it was stunningly well located and our room afforded the best of views, so thanks for that. We would highly recommend the Bridge Climb and Oz Jet (the power boat rides around the harbour)

- Bamurru Plains, the food there was at an outstanding level, considering how far the camp is from suppliers etc. A word too for the guides at Bamurru, who were extremely personable and looked after us well

- memories of swimming totally alone at Jim Jim Falls - and at the beautiful Barramundi Falls - will stay with us forever. All credit to our guide for getting us to Jim Jim way before the hordes arrived (that made all of the difference) - and we enjoyed his night walks along the edge of the billabong.

- I have to say this: there is a coffee house on Macrossan Street - Re:Hab - which sells the best coffee i have ever, ever tasted.

- Finally, the reason why we used B&W was very simple: Way back in October, on a saturday morning, I emailed B&W saying that I was interested in going to Oz. The fact that you not only called us on the 'phone within the hour, but that you clearly knew what you were talking about and, more importantly, seemed to empathise with the sort of holiday that we were looking for, made using B&W a 'no brainer'. I am delighted that we did so - your service throughout the process has been exemplary, I will be recommending you to my partners and will use you again when we go over.

I Sampson

Home House

We had a fantastic turnout for our night at Home House last week and we'd like to thank our previous clients as well as our brand new clients who came along - it was a pleasure to meet you all and share a glass of champagne or two whilst discussing one of our favourite parts of the world....Australia and in particular Far North Queensland!

We'd also like to thank our partners - Qantas Airways, Voyages Hotels & Resorts and Tropical North Queensland for being perfect co-hosts.

Even if you didn't make it on the night, you can still take advantage of some very special offers, click here for more details.

Please be sure to sign up for our regular email newsletter to stay up to date with what's happening at Bridge & Wickers and our upcoming events.

Conde Nast Readers Awards 2008

Great news from the Conde Nast Traveller Mag’s Readers Awards – Bridge & Wickers were rated 8th in the Best Tour Operator survey.

We are immensely proud of this achievement having beaten a huge number of larger, older operators with what we believe is the best range of products and customer service in the business.

We were just 4 percentage points behind the overall winner.

Readers were asked to judge on the basis on several criteria, namely:

First hand knowledge of the destination

Flexibility of arrangements

Range of accommodation

Reliability

Service/Staff

Value for money

Variety of destinations offered (considering we offer so few it makes our ratings in the other categories that much higher – imagine where we would have come if we covered the world!).

Also, New Zealand was voted the top destination, and all of the top 20 ‘overseas leisure hotels in Australasia and the South Pacific’ are featured by B&W.

Take a closer look at the range of holidays we can tailor-make for you here

Canada Self-Drives

We have recently added some brand new self drive itineraries for Canada onto the website ranging from 6 to 16 days and covering Britsh Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia giving you even more choice of options for a trip to Canada from whale watching in Vancouver Island to gazing at Niagara Falls.

All the itineraries featured are just a flavour of what we can offer, so please contact your consultant who will be happy to tailor-make a perfect holiday to Canada.

Jerry Bridge

Hi, I'm Jerry Bridge and this is my first post on our brand new blog. I'd love you to take a look at our website to discover more about Bridge & Wickers and our fantastic range of destinations... click here.

I'm always available to listen to your feedback about your own holiday experiences, please feel free to drop me a line at jerry@bridgeandwickers.com

I hope you can make it to Home House on the 24th September, it will be good to meet you!

Latest feedback from our clients

We love to hear from our clients when they return home from their travels. Here is just a selection of their comments, including some of their recommendations for future travellers...

"We would describe the overall level of satisfaction of our holiday as 'excellent'. However that understates the amazing time we have had in the past 5 weeks, a large part of which can be contributed to the advice and accommodation selection that you made for us. All in all an incredible journey, the way mapped out, initially, by your beautiful brochure (which fully deserves its awards) and your perceptive and excellent itinerary which has provided us with an amazing adventure which we will always remember. Many thanks to you all for making it happen! Naturally we will have no hesitation in recommending your company to any friends." - P Waite