Traveler’s Feedback

We booked with Arara an 11 days trip to Armenia and Georgia.

The trip was amazing! Perfect places to see and discover every day something new,

Our drivers were very friendly and professional. The Arara Tour is very good company and they gave us the best services we could have. Highly recommend!!

Guide: Armenia - Haykuhi - very pleased, she was excellent in every way. We felt very fortunate to have someone so knowledgeable and with such a good command of English. She was very kind and considerate. We felt that we were with a very authentic person, who answered questions honestly and always in a good way. She became a friend.

Georgia - Tazo - We really liked him. Gary especially enjoyed hiking 1-on-1 with Tazo while Marie did something else. His depth of knowledge was a bit less, but he was always alert to connecting us to knowledgeable people. He is clearly well-known and well-liked among the locals. His knowledge of nature and the outdoors really impressed Gary.

Driver: ARMENIA - He was an excellent driver, thoughtful and helped us with the ATM. He seemed painfully shy. We were pleased.

GEORGIA - Tazo was both guide and driver. Excellent driver. We felt very safe with him on those dangerous Georgian roads.

Car: ARMENIA AND GEORGIA - Both cars were excellent, in good condition, comfortable, clean inside and out.

Hotels: ARMENIA - The room for the first night at Cascade Hotel was too small, but the hotel upgraded us quickly that night. The chef was very nice during breakfast. Location was great, allowing us to enjoy the architecture of the Cascades, and to walk the city. We also enjoyed Eco-Kayan in Dilijan very much. 

GEORGIA - Hotel Opinion - first night, before arriving in Yerevan by plane, the room was too close to loud music outside. The remaining nights after the Armenia tour, and during the Georgia tour, were pleasant. The breakfast buffet was good.

Hotel Kazbegi - we think that this is the finest hotel that we have ever seen. We were thrilled to see Mt. Kazbegi from our hotel window at dawn. This hotel is unforgettable.

We also liked the fact that we could stay multiple nights in a hotel, which spared us the hassles of luggage.

What did you like best in your trip? For both trips, it's very difficult to choose a favorite, all was remarkably good.

ARMENIA - We especially liked the Manuscript and History museums. Genocide museum is a must-do. Yerevan is nice city with art, public spaces for families. It was good to experience part of the Sunday Mass at St. Hripsine Church. It was nice to see local people out and enjoying their city. Dalijan gave a nice, restful pause after being on the go.

GEORGIA - Our guide Tazo recommended 11 კათხა-კონკა / 11 Katkha-Konka restaurant with traditional Georgian food, music and dancers. We loved it! We ate there three times! The Kazbegi region was the most stunning and wild. We liked the scenic variety and the ethnic diversity in Georgia.

What didn't you like in trip? ARMENIA - Instant coffee at Cascades Hotel. GEORGIA - 9:00 Breakfast at Hotel Opinion seems late. We are accustomed to 7:30 or 8:00 AM as travelers.

What would you add to your trip? It would have been nice to experience Armenian dancing, music and traditional costumes. Us! For another visit someday!

Would you recommend our company to your friends? Yes! Definitely! You are excellent!

My sister and I had a very good time and it was great to visit both countries which have their own beauty.  We would not hesitate to recommend our friends in visiting the region (as many of them have not been there before).

The whole tour ran very smoothly, we did not have any hiccups at all. No problems with currency, food or transport!

Arthur has taken care of us well during the first part of the trip. He always picked us up at the agreed time and was very patient in answering all our questions, whether it be cultural, historical or religious. He is a safe driver and we had no problems with the mode of transport at all. Please thank Arthur for us for being us a great guide to the country!

We found Hotel Lilia to be a really good option. I am aware that the usual hotel is near the Cascade but I think this location has its particular advantage of being near Republic Square. There are a lot of choice of cafes and restaurants withing walking distance and we felt very safe walking around on our own at night. The staff at Hotel Lilia was always attentive and friendly. Although it was a small hotel it made our stay feel cozy and welcome. Also there was a 24 hour supermarket a few minutes walk which was a highlight to us as it was convenient to get snacks and last minute items there at night. (The dried fruit and nuts store next to Hotel Lilia was also great -we bought a lot of snacks from there!)

Itinerary wise it was a good pace – we got to see a lot of the sights in the 5 days we were there and did not feel rushed. It was a good idea to do the border crossing as it was super easy and not crowded at all. We liked the large roadside store that Arthur brought us to which was on the way to the border. Super fresh bakery that offers so much!

Vazha was there to greet us once we crossed the border – no problems with the border crossing, very straight forward. Vazha also took good care of us and is a good driver (they are all quite good drivers in Georgia from what we can gather). We did not run into any problems at all and pick up was punctual and Vazha was very flexible with time and itinerary and never rushed us. Right to the end Vazha was there to send us to the airport and made sure we got there on time!

Hotel – although Citadines was our own choice of hotel, just a bit of feedback in case your other guests make enquiries about staying at this hotel. We would say the hotel has 4* location but all else it probably should be classified more a 3 star. Understandably, hotel costs in central Tbilisi may be quite expensive so maybe that is why they justified a 4* rating. No doubt location as perfect – we could almost walk to all parts of the town and even take the metro if necessary. I looked up the hotel that originally suggested 3* Hotel Astoria and I think it would have been a less convenient spot.  I could see that there are a number of 3* hotels in the vicinity that could be better choices so you might like to consider this for your future tourists. (We missed staying at  Hotel Lilia once we got to Citadines-  standard corporate chain hotel!)

Itinerary wise – the pace was very good too. It would appear Georgia is larger so  there could be other areas we could possible cover but perhaps we will have to leave it to another day! Tbilisi is definitely a more busy city with many more tourist and traffic which we found which was quite a change of pace from Yerevan. It took us some time to adjust to the pace after enjoying the relaxed charm of Yerevan.

As I mentioned, overall the trip was fantastic and the guides did a great job in showing us around. We enjoyed ourselves and no doubt if anyone asks we can refer them to you in future!

Eleanor “

Car: Perfect for this type of tour

Hotels: Except for 2 places totally fine.

What did you like best? Besides some small issues that we faced, the tour was more than enjoyable. We’ve visited interesting sights and the food was delicious (even though I had some problems with digestion)

What could’ve been better? For my taste there were too many churches and monasteries, also we could’ve driven a few more kilometers per day.

Guide: Vahe was very competent and always kept the necessary calmness.

Driver: Vardan was, just like his brother, very competent. He never drank a single drop of alcohol, not even during dinners.

Would you recommend us to your friends and family? Yes, definitely

The tour was enjoyed immensely by all our members, please convey our thanks to all your staff for the excellent service you provided. We have been experiencing comments such as, “the best ever”, “the itinerary was splendid and covered everything we could wish to see”, “ the scenery was spell-binding and the attention paid to detail was excellent”, “the hotels and their service was first class”,  “when you go again please reserve a place for us”, etc, etc.

The only comment that had any criticism was that the long tables were too crowded with hardly sufficient room to handle a knife and fork, a particularly valid comment as the dishes were so good and what a selection, the “soup and bread” lunches in Georgia were particularly enjoyed!

Thank you for arranged such a good tour that highlighted the scenery and history of both countries and thank you personally for your kind invitation to the Jazz Club which Kate and I enjoyed immensely. To crown all this the 15 year old Brandy that you so generously gave us is something very special and will only be shared with our closest friends (if they twist my arm very hard).

With very best wishes until we return

Harry & Kate.

Guide: Eva (Yeva) is the best!  She knew everything about Armenia and the places we visited. Her english language skills were great.  She was also flexible and willing to add or drop stops depending on our particular interests. If we come back I would ask for her again.

Driver: Aurther was a very skilled driver.  He did not speak english but always went above and beyond the call of duty to take care of us.

Car: Very nice Mercedes Sprinter Van.

Hotels: Mostly just fine. In small village had an issue with hot shower but worked around it. One of our party is handicapped and had some step challenges but worked through this.

What did you like best in your trip? Felt like I got a real feel for the country, politics, food, and people.  All positive.

What didn’t you like in the trip? We visited 8 out of the 10 regions which meant a bit of driving but don’t think I would change this.

What would you add to your trip? I would have added  few more days to the trip.

Would you recommend our company to your friends? YES

Guide: Ara was very personable. His standard of English was excellent. He was well-informed, being an archeologist and historian by training, and obviously knew the country well and was evidently an experienced guide. He was able to answer all our questions about history, culture and everyday life in Armenia.

Driver: Ara was our driver too. It sometimes made it a bit difficult to ask him about things while he was concentrating on negotiating windy mountain roads or driving in think fog! We realise this keeps the cost down but it does mean he was having to work doubly hard which must have been tiring.

Car: The car wasn’t really quite big or comfortable enough for such a road trip. We, fortunately, only had a small amount of luggage, but had anyone had more, it would have been impossible to store it all out of sight. Also being a right-hand drive it meant Ara constantly had difficulties seeing what was coming when overtaking.

Hotels: Cascade, Yerevan: Lovely, friendly staff, especially the receptionists. Excellent location, comfortable rooms. Good laundry service. Breakfast good but terrible coffee!

Khachik B&B, Goris: Friendly reception from the owner. Rooms basic but very clean and comfortable. Good breakfast (but again lacking decent coffee). We didn’t see much of the surroundings.

Heghnar Hotel, Stepanakert: Rather ordinary, trying to be grander than it really was. But clean and comfortable enough. Breakfast average (can’t really remember it). Restaurant wasn’t open in evening. Without a car it would have been difficult.

Noyland, Sevan Lake: Clean and comfortable enough but lacking in character and felt a bit desolate out of season (it was only mid September). Breakfast average.

What did you like best in your trip? Beautiful scenery, visits to markets, trying local food. Wine tasting in Ijevan.

What didn’t you like in the trip? Too much time on the road. Not enough time in places such as Dilijan. Too many monasteries: before the last day we had already seen the most spectacular ones and would have preferred to have seen more of Dilijan (where we wanted to stay). we only had time for a quick lunch an a walk down one road.

In view of the fact that we were being driven to Tbilisi the next day, it would have been better for our tour to end in Dilijan, stay there the night, then we could have taken a car from there to Tbilisi. We ended up driving all the way back to Yerevan for one night at the end of tour, only to retrace our steps as far as Ijevan the next morning.

What would you add to your trip? Would have liked to have some more local crafts and artisans.

Would you recommend our company to your friends? Definitely. The pre-trip service by Lusine was excellent.

Guide: Our guide, Yeva, was wonderful! She made our week delightful. She was professional but extremely likable. She is amazingly knowledgeable. The information she gave us enhanced our experience enormously.  She did a great job knowing how much talking to do  and what information we would find interesting. She paved the way and lead us.  There were at least three times in which we asked to change the itinerary midstream. She went with the flow and cooperated with our every wish and adapted the itinerary cheerfully.  She helped us to fall in love with Armenia.

Driver: He did a fine job.

Car: Fine

Hotels: We enjoyed all of  the hotels although  some were challenging regarding being handicapped accessible.

What did you like best in your trip? I enjoyed the entire trip but especially liked the cable car day

What didn’t you like in the trip? The winery

Would you recommend our company to your friends? Yes. I intend to. It was excellent.
I also want to thank you, Lucine,  for all your help in planning the trip. That too was a big part of giving us a week will always remember!

Guide: He was the best!  Excellent communication, language skills and tremendous information. Raffi made the tour fun and very interactive.

Driver: our drive was an excellent driver.  Only wished that he would have used the air conditioner rather than opening the window!

Car: The car/van was very suitable and comfortable.

Hotels: the City Hotel was awful and I appreciate being moved to the Boss Hotel which was great.  The other hotels were comperable to the Boss Hotel and were very comfortable.

What did you like best in your trip? visiting the monasteries

What didn’t you like in the trip? the first night in that awful hotel

What would you add to your trip? it would be great to add either as a standard or option to see traditional danacing and music

Would you recommend our company to your friends? absolutely!

Guide: Both Narek, in Armenia and Shota in Georgia, were lovely people.  Narek is quite educated and was a good source of information. Our trip to Georgia was somewhat longer than anticipated due to some problems with the roads, but we enjoyed both of them.  Shota, especially was helpful to my wife dealing with merchants, and knew the Tblisi environs very well and suggested reasonably priced merchants for certain souvenirs.  Narek also was helpful to my wife with various merchants and got us reservations and assistance.

Driver: Narek drove very slowly (actually too slowly for us) but was very relaxed.
Shota was bit more aggressive, as you’d expect, but very very safe and cared very much about our safety.
Narek’s car (RangeRover Discovery) was a bit bumpy in the back seat, Shota’s Toyota Isis had a much more comfortable ride.

Car: See above

Hotels: The Cascade was a lovely place with friendly employees, and very well located (close to Cascade Steps, Opera house, etc).
My one criticism is that the rooms were much too small (although tidy and clean) and the beds were as hard as a rock. As older Americans accustomed to larger hotel rooms, we would have paid more gladly for a larger room.  We changed to the Double Tree-Hilton for our last night, and really enjoyed that comfort, even though the Doubletree was not as conveniently located as the Cascade. Next time, I’d specify the Marriott.  We are really very experienced travelers, but the size and comfort of the hotel rooms is now becoming a priority for us.  Perhaps you could give people the option of upgrading the hotel for a higher price.

What did you like best in your trip? It was a very meaningful trip for us in many ways. We saw family members of my wife we had never met;  the prices were very reasonable in both Armenia and Georgia, and we really enjoyed every day’s adventures.  We loved our lunch near the Garni Temple with the Babayans.  I loved my early morning walks each day around Yerevan and Tblisi.

What didn’t you like in the trip? The roads between Yerevan and Tblisi were often very bad, and even non-passable.

What would you add to your trip? Options for larger hotel rooms

Would you recommend our company to your friends? Yes. Thank you

I will also send you my journal, so you can see how carefully I documented each day.

Guide: The tour guide was friendly with huge source of information.

Driver: The transportation was good and on time.

Car: The car was comfortable.

Hotels: The hotel was central so I was close to the most public places like restaurants and shopping. it was nice and clean with excellent services

What did you like best in your trip? My tour guide.

What would you add to your trip? I would add two weeks instead of one week.

Would you recommend our company to your friends? I strongly will recommend this company. With my experience you will have a good service and you will enjoy your tripe.