Flavoursholidays.co.uk Bewertungen 

Had a lovely holiday in Sicily with Flavours on a painting week with a parallel language course. Great fun and very well looked after by the staff and tutors - Antonio, Kate and Carlo. Lovely villa and excursions and great food cooked by Carla.

Summary: Cooking in Sicily at The Masseria Villa Modica near Ispica. My third Flavours holiday in Italy, but now overpriced for what it has become. Low quality accommodation. No actual cooking! Poorly planned excursions. Awful customer service. Overall a 2/10. I won’t book another Flavours holiday!
Airport Transfer. This always seems to be planned in favour of the Edinburgh flight! I wonder why? It’s a “take it or leave it” option, and a 75 minute transfer crammed into one minibus. A private transfer will set you back €150 from Catania CTA.
The Villa. We stayed at the Masseria Villa Modica, a former hotel, in the hills about 5km from Ispica, and a 40 minute drive from Modica. Don’t confuse it with Villa Modica, a 5* upmarket villa near Modica. The place that Flavours use can best be described as a 2* establishment. Thirty years ago it might once have been lovely, but today its all a bit tired and 90s. I’m 6ft 4in with an arthritic hip, so again asked for a double bed so I could stretch out. I was given a not very clean ground floor room with two single beds strapped together with cable ties. It smelled musty, and had dead bugs on the stone floor, along with a number of live black millipedes on the floor and walls. The knackered shower had mould in it. No bedside charging points, etc. Four “spare” dining chairs, but not one armchair to sit in.
After the cleaner returned it at least smelled cleaner, but not all the dead bugs had gone, nor the millipedes, and it was a nightly search to collect and flush new ones so you didn’t squelch them in the middle of the night! The mould in the dribbling hot one minute / cold the next shower remained.
I didn’t sleep well as there was a ridge running all the way down the middle of the bed. I was offered a different room with a better bathroom, but the same arrangement of two single beds strapped together. No point moving. At least the wifi worked!
Our Hosts. Host Claudia is lovely. A delightful caring person who made every effort to look after the group within the boundaries that she had been set. Chef Loredana, another lovely person who gave the “lessons” and provided all meals doesn’t speak English. Both are from Modica.
Cooking Lessons. The villa isn’t really set up to be a cookery school. Food prep has to be done in the main hall, and ingredients carted into the kitchen for cooking.. The lessons weren’t that well planned – I do already know how to dice an onion! There’s no real space in the kitchen, and only one hob. Loredana does 95% of the cooking. The closest I got to doing any cooking at all was stirring a ragu! Not great. The recipe booklet is in black and white, with no photos of the dishes, presumably to save on cost!
Excursions. We had excursions to Modica, and Syracuse / Nota. They weren’t really suitable for persons with limited mobility, as there was too much walking involved. Flavours claim to accommodate all, but make absolutely no effort to accommodate those of limited mobility despite their prior knowledge! It could be so easy to plan out a “limited mobility” itinerary as well, but they cannot be bothered.
Included Food. Where we prepared food we had that for lunch, and we also had low budget meals out. Evening food wasn’t that great. Loredana didn’t seem able to serve HOT food – it was always lukewarm. You sensed that the food budget had not been increased in years! The red wine was OK; the rose and white wines not pleasant. Prosecco was acceptable, but again we were given the cheapest possible!
Customer Service. A true 0/10. The company has gone woke, so when you email them you get an answer just giving a first name, and no job title. You have no idea whether you’re dealing with the Ops Manager, or the Office Cleaner, but from the poor attitude it was probably the former.
When I complained I got a condescending reply claiming that I had never asked for a double bed, nor advised the disability. However I had emailed them, and they had acknowledged. Flavours now has “Morningside Smugness” stamped all over it. The useless replies – two of them – didn’t fix any of the problems, and have instead ensured that I am now a former customer.

I did a cookery course for 3 days in Sicily.
The villa was in the middle of nowhere.
It was very dated. The bedroom was furnished with cheap furniture , was musty and probably decorated last century.
Cooking classes were mostly pasta, pastry and other flour based dishes. Very cheap ingredients.
Staff worked hard, but the whole experience was very poor.
There was no hands on cooking, just prep as the cook finished off everything herself.
This is an expensive holiday, so expectations were high.
I would not recommend this company.
I am giving 2 stars instead of one as the staff did their best.

The best part of this holiday was the group of 7. Two men and 5 ladies and we enjoyed each others company so much that we are having a reunion in London. Quite apart from the way the holiday was organised by Flavours in a very comfotable villa with a lovely pool I enjoyed the balance of the cooking sessions and the free time to relax by the pool.

My first Flavours holiday took me cooking in Pulia… a fantastic experience. The itinerary was the perfect mix of cooking, sightseeing and down time. The hostess Monia and Chef Antonio were brilliant and the accommodation was quite superb.

We stayed in Tuscany for a 3 day cooking holiday. It was truly magical. Our host Sara is such a special and incredible lady. She looked after us royally and we had such good fun with her. Our cooking lessons with Alice were excellent and we were able to eat the delicious food we all made. I went with two friends and we also met two other ladies whom we are now in a whatsapp group with. It really was a fantastic break, our every need was catered for .. Breakfast/lunch/dinner .. lovely wines and Prosecco with a fabulous trip to Florence and to a winery .. We loved our break so much that we have already booked our next Flavours’ trip .. this time to Venice.

Had a wonderful holiday cooking in Tuscany at the beginning of September. I really appreciated the zoom call before the holiday which gave the opportunity to meet the other guests and ask any questions. Also the Whatsapp group which enabled me to meet some of the other guests in departures at the airport.

Transfers to and from the airport were well organised. We did have a bit of a wait at Pisa airport which we were aware of and used the time to get a taxi into Pisa Town and see the sights and have a meal.

Being a solo traveller, I was worried about how I would get on with the rest of the group however those fears were unfounded. We immediately gelled as a group and all got on.

The villa was beautiful. Very rustic with wonderful views and spacious bedrooms. Great outdoor eating area which often included singing, dancing and laughter after dinner!

Our host Laura and chef Ludo were lovely and very well organised. Nothing was too much trouble. As a fairly novice cook, I was concerned my limited skills would be a hindrance but we all worked as a group.

I would definitely consider going on another Flavours holiday in the future.

Absolutely lovely experience. Learning to cook Italian dishes with amazing women in a beautiful villa!

I had a wonderful time in Sicily. Carla's cooking lessons were wonderful and the villa was very comfortable. Our cooking group was small and we all got on very well. I am looking to book another holiday with Flavours. Highly recommended if you are travelling solo.

I have recently returned from another wonderful Flavours holiday - this time in beautiful Cilento with a lovely group of people. We were well looked after by our host Ivan and cooking lessons were fun and enjoyable with Teresa who also cooked our meals. Everything was special as we were right by the sea with amazing views from our stunning villa and pool. We had some interesting excursions, including a boat trip along the coast, a visit to Maratea with the Skywalk glass pathway and best of all a trip to Ispani, a unique hilltop village which was a delight, followed by a delicious meal at the local restaurant. The balance of lessons, excursions, meals out and relaxing time was just right.

I have been on many Flavours cooking holidays - my first one to Puglia was also my first as a solo traveller. You are looked after from the moment you are met at the airport to returning home. With everyone sharing a love of Italy, cooking, good food and wine it soon feels like a group of friends having fun. Highly recommended.

This was my first time away alone and it was amazing. I felt totally looked after and the Pilates was brilliant. The food, accommodation and the trips were perfect, a great balance. There were people there too doing a cookery class, so we got to enjoy the culinary results. The host and chef were very attentive. Will book again.

Lovely cookery holiday in the Veneto region. As always, very well organised, super food, good company and time to relax.

Thoroughly enjoyed this, my first Flavours holiday. Wonderful location for a week's painting and very well looked after and instructed by the our manager, chef and our ever helpful tutor. Our 'manager' was also an excellent guide when we went out and visited two of the pretty Tuscan towns. Another visit to a market was a bit of a disappointment for those of us who were expecting rows and rows of fruit, cheeses, vegetables - and only got clothes, shoes and bags!! The former - a Sunday market would have been good to paint! But all in all, a wonderful holiday with tons of opportunities to paint, excellent company and a lot of laughs. Thoroughly recommend it. PS Our meals were delicious with typically Tuscan menus!

Organisation was good. Once there, the villa was lovely, the host and chef were excellent and I enjoyed the trips out. The others on the trip were great companions.
Most of the people on the trip are planning to do another.

This was my first Flavours holiday and I certainly wasn’t disappointed!
This was also my first proper experience of Pilates and I thoroughly enjoyed it - mainly thanks to our excellent teacher, Andrea.
The villa was characterful, the room rustic but had everything I needed and was very quiet and we had a really lovely infinity pool to relax by. Great host and chef.
We had a couple of cookery lessons which were fun, a trip to the beach and a couple more excursions to nearby towns.
All made even more enjoyable by the lovely travel companions!

Very well organised and great communication. Beautiful apartment Very clean.
The cooking was great fun in Sicily and delicious.
Very friendly hostess

I had booked a week-long cooking holiday in Tuscany with Flavours Holidays and was looking forward to what should have been a fantastic experience. Unfortunately, just two weeks and four days before departure, I received an email saying:
“We are reviewing our forthcoming trips. Unfortunately the uptake on this holiday has not been as we had hoped for the dates you are booked for.” I find the way this was handled extremely disappointing, particularly because Flavours’ own Terms & Conditions appear to make clear that this should not have happened at such short notice. Their current Terms & Conditions state that all courses are subject to a minimum number of bookings and Flavours reserve the right to cancel on that basis, but they specifically add: “In no case will your holiday be cancelled within four weeks of departure except in the event of circumstances out-with our control.” My cancellation was made only 18 days before departure, and the reason given was simply that “the uptake on this holiday has not been as we had hoped for”. A decision about whether there are sufficient bookings is, as far as I can see, entirely within Flavours’ control and capable of being made earlier than 18 days before departure. What makes this even more frustrating is that only a few days before the cancellation, the detailed itinerary for my trip had been uploaded to my personal portal. I had received absolutely no indication that there was any concern about the number of participants or that the trip might not go ahead. Even more confusingly, Flavours’ website is still currently advertising the Tuscany cooking holiday for sale and describes availability for my trip as “Limited”. That was the description in place when I booked my spot months in advance. Given that this trip has been cancelled because the uptake was apparently insufficient, seeing the holiday continuing to be marketed in this way is extremely disappointing and, in my view, potentially misleading to prospective customers.
Upon cancellation, Flavours did offer alternative holidays in different locations on different dates, but these were not suitable for me. I had already arranged annual leave from work, dog kennels that need to be booked far in advance and all the other arrangements that go with being away for a week. I booked these arrangements in reliance on Flavours’ published terms stating that holidays would not be cancelled within four weeks of departure except for circumstances outside their control. I had also booked non-refundable airport accommodation, airport parking and kennels for my dog. I am now having to pursue this through my travel insurance to see whether I can recover approximately £400–£500 of those lost costs. Even if my insurance does eventually cover these amounts, I will have to pay an excess and likely face increased premiums in future.
The handling of the cancellation has compounded the problem. I have had to chase Flavours for responses to emails concerning both the refund for my cancelled holiday and my flights. The lack of proactive communication and the need to repeatedly chase for information regarding refunds has made an already stressful situation considerably worse. I would also have expected considerably more acknowledgement and sympathy for the inconvenience caused by a cancellation at such short notice. What is particularly disappointing is that I would genuinely have liked to rebook with Flavours for next year. However, after this experience, I now have very little confidence in making another booking with them. My advice to anyone considering booking with Flavours would therefore be to make sure you choose flexible or refundable options wherever possible, including things like flights, hotels, airport parking and pet care. Do not assume that arrangements made on the basis of Flavours’ published Terms & Conditions will necessarily be protected if they subsequently decide that a particular trip has not attracted enough bookings.
I am genuinely disappointed because this should have been an exciting holiday that I was really looking forward to. Instead, I have been left dealing with cancelled plans, financial losses, chasing for refunds and a complete loss of confidence in a company I had been prepared to book with again.
From the other reviews, it’s seems that when they get it right, it’s great. But when it goes wrong, it’s pretty shambolic. A real shame.

The Pilates holiday in Sicily lived up to expectations. From the moment we were picked up from the airport until the moment we were dropped off the holiday was well organised.
The Pilates instructor was great, the host was brilliant, the chef produced some really great food. The villa had outstanding views and was well appointed in a beautiful rural setting.
The three trips on the itinerary were well organised and a lot of fun.
The others on the holiday were very good company and, of course, we all had Pilates in
Common!
Flavours holidays are a great way to indulge yourself in your passion or something you think will interest you and meet others that feel the same way.

I've just returned from a Flavours painting holiday in Sicily. From booking to return, the organisation by Flavours was first class. Communication from the team throughout was excellent and the online portal extremely well thought out and useful. The holiday itself was superb. The venue was stunning, with spacious, clean rooms. Food and wine were invariably of good quality and delicious. The team at the venue were very welcoming, always helpful and positive. The tutoring from Mark was encouraging and informative, I certainly feel I made progress during the week. Transfers to and from the airport were well organised, as were the interesting trips during our stay. I would highly recommend Flavours holidays and plan to travel with them again in the future.

For anyone wondering whether to book for a solo holiday, feel confident that your Flavours holiday will be warm and welcoming. I enjoyed my solo holiday as meeting new people brings rich rewards and experiences. Flavours look after you really well and the location and accommodation was all I could wish for.