Flavoursholidays.co.uk Bewertungen 

It was well organised from the booking process to my time there. There was time for the cooking lessons as well as a couple of trips into the surrounding area and time by the pool. The hostess could not do enough for us. It was lovely that everyone mixed and although I went myself I felt included in everything. The only slight down side was the villa was a bit isolated.

I had a fantastic painting holiday in Tuscany. Everything went well from booking to drop off after the holiday. Flavours staff are very helpful and the villa, our art teacher and everyone we met there were so helpful. I enjoyed my holiday so much another one is booked for next year.

It has taken me several months to write this review, as I didn’t want to upset anyone, but I do feel it’s important to give a balanced account.

I joined a 7-day Pilates retreat in Marrakech with Flavours Holidays, my first, and my last, with this company.

The Positives:
• The Pilates element of the week was excellent.
• Outings to the Atlas Mountains and a local lake lunch were real highlights and a welcome change of scene.

The Negatives:
• The villa was around 30 minutes outside Marrakech, in a desolate location we weren’t allowed to leave alone “for our safety.” This created a feeling of being restricted and dependent.
• What was sold as an exclusive villa for the group was, without warning, opened up to a wedding party inspection, including people entering private quarters unchaperoned for around 3 hours-completely inappropriate.
• Free days at the villa were uninspiring. Options were limited to sunbathing (weather permitting), swimming in a very cold pool, or drinking the local wine. Not ideal for those who want to experience more of Morocco.
• My first bedroom was directly above the kitchen, where staff began work at 4:00am. Being noise-sensitive, this was a real issue. I was eventually moved, which improved matters.
• The atmosphere from staff was controlling at times. We were told Marrakech was unsafe unless accompanied, which created fear among some guests. When I questioned this, I was told to “blend in”-an unnecessarily rude comment. As a confident and independent traveller with a long career in the emergency services, I resented being treated like an incompetent child.

I did manage to arrange my own sightseeing outside of the programme through “Get Your Guide” and was eventually allowed to explore the souks & other places of cultural interest independently-something I feel should have been encouraged from the start.

Overall:
This style of holiday may suit those who are happiest following a group structure and prefer everything arranged for them. But be aware: despite being in such a fascinating and vibrant city, you’ll only get a very limited “flavour” of Marrakech itself.

I’m prompted to now write a review of my experience in September 2024 (Painting in Puglia) because I keep getting advertising from Flavours which reminds me that the feedback I sent to them at the time has never been acknowledged, so here goes….
Starting with the positives, the Villa was characterful, with an enjoyable rustic rather than luxurious vibe. I enjoyed the (small) pool, our hostess was friendly and professional, and I liked our tutor. The food was OK - mainly freshly cooked and plentiful, but not the famous ‘Mediterranean Diet’ that we hear so much about, which was a bit surprising.
However, the promises that tempted me to book this holiday in Puglia (‘sights to savour with your artistic eye include the turquoise sea and long sandy beaches’ and ‘land dotted with … whitewashed trulli’) didn’t materialise because, actually, they were never really there. During our week there was just one scheduled 2 hour-ish visit to the nearest coast, about 15 minutes away. Castro is essentially a small marina town built into a rocky bay with a brightly painted concrete promenade for sitting at the water’s edge, and bathing ladders for getting in and out of the sea. It was clear, cool and beautiful for swimming, but hardly ‘turquoise’ or a ‘beach’ by any standards - a concrete slab is, after all, a concrete slab! I was disappointed that this (and a short visit late afternoon for aperitifs to a clifftop bar) were to be the only opportunities to actually see the coast. By midweek we were feeling the need for a change of scene. Villa Ortelle is courtyard style, with no real views to the outside world. Although the pool was nice enough it’s also quite small, as are the courtyard gardens, and we were beginning feel a little cooped up (more on that later).So my friend and I asked if we could book the Flavours taxi firm one afternoon to take us back to Castro as we wanted swim again and have a quick drink at the nearby cafe/bar. Having been told there was no suitable bus service we agreed to pay the extortionate price of 80 euros for a round trip of no more than 12km and the slightly tedious experience of a 45 minute roadside wait as the driver forgot to return at our agreed time.
Another issue was that access in and out of the Villa is through a security door operated by key. Our tutor was the only person allowed to use the key, which meant that if we wanted to leave in the afternoons which were ‘free time’ we had to disturb her even though we knew she was off duty. Although she was happy to let us out, we were aware that she would have then been waiting for us to call her when we wanted to return which we felt was unfair on her as it intruded into her off duty hours. I happen to know from someone who visited this same villa earlier this year that the system is still the same. I’m sure our group were not the first to suggest that a keypad would be an easy fix!
I’ll also mention that there are really no facilities, nor much to look at in Ortelle, other than a small shop right on the road (you sit at one of the two small tables on the pavement) where they sell coffee and a very limited range of alcoholic drinks. The small town square is pleasant to sit for a while, but the landscape immediately around the village as far as we could see is a fairly flat and an uninteresting mixture of empty buildings and small scale agricultural enterprises, and so you really ARE dependent on the organised trips to feel that there is anything much to see.
Finally, the famous Trulli houses? I asked our host about them and she explained they were in a different region and it would have been a drive of several hours to reach them!
So, to conclude … despite feeding all this back to Flavours at the time, the fact I got no response tells me that they’re not really interested in customer experience. They do what they do. Regarding the Villa, I think that whilst it’s peaceful and quaint, it’s very poorly located, unless you really DO just want to spend the majority of the afternoons and evenings hanging around the pool or working on personal art projects. I can’t imagine that anyone renting the villa privately would even consider it without also hiring a car. Flights from the Uk (LHR) to Bríndisi are also very expensive compared to almost any other Italian airport (adding for us an additional £500 to the cost of the holiday even in September).
I really hoped I’d found a great small business that I could love and use again, but I just felt there was too much disparity between the holiday description (written and photographic) and the actual reality of the holiday, so I don’t think this is the firm for me.

I have been on four Flavours holidays doing Pilates and the last one to Tuscany in June 2025 was fabulous . To be fair , they have all been wonderful which is why I’ve been on four of them, but the holiday to Tuscany was the best so far for many reasons.
Firstly, the group of people on the holiday all got on so well, there was not a divisive member which can sometimes happen. We all joined in the conversations around the dining table on the terrace and listened to each others stories yet we gave each other space to enjoy the peace and serenity of our holiday. The villa was gorgeous , set in Tuscany countryside surrounded by vineyards . My room overlooked the pool and gardens and I was relieved to find it also had air conditioning .The food was out of this world and we actually had to ask the chef to serve slightly smaller portions! Our hostess, Steffi, was vivacious and engaging and couldn’t do enough for the group . We had 2 sessions of Pilates per day , outside in the shade which was wonderful and our teacher was excellent.
There were 2 trips outside of the villa , one to Voltara and one to Lucca Both beautiful towns . My only criticism of this holiday , and it’s only a little one, is the pre booked restaurant lunch in Lucca was only average , a sentimental shared amongst the group. But on reflection, we were spoilt by the delicious food created daily by the chef at our villa maybe we were just being’picky’ !

As this was my second Flavours holiday I had high expectations, which were mostly met. The surroundings of "Il Tesoro", our property near Orvieto ,were stunning, stylish and spacious and the pool was great. The art tuition was really excellent and I felt I made progress over the week and learned a lot. The host, Julia , was delightful and there was much fun and cameraderie amongst the guests. Two things marred this holiday. One was the inexperience of the chef, who initially did not serve fruit and vegetables with meals! In Italy!! However, this was fed back and remedied over the week. I cannot say the same for the bites of bed bugs which I experienced - these got worse and worse and eventually I was given another room to sleep in. When I realised ( I got another guest to take photos) how bad they were (other guests were horrified and said I should have complained earlier) I saw the owner and showed her. When I returned I raised this with Flavours but they equated bed bugs with mosquitoes and midges - just one of those holiday hazards. I felt this was unfair and was surprised at their lack of understanding and wish to offer me a small recompense.

We went to the Venice villa. It was more like a mansion. The owner who was our chef for the week was very friendly and approachable. Her cooking skills were of a very high standard and her presentation was impeccable, like her home. The host and photographer were also excellent and very enjoyable to be with. I cannot fault the holiday. The trips were also very good.

As I had had a good holiday with Flavours in 2023 in Sicily I decided to book a weeks Pilates holiday in Andalusia staying at Il Palacete. The pictures in the brochure were good, the bedrooms looked large, light with good furnishings. I asked for a room with a walk in shower because of my spinal problem and also asked about air conditioning. I was told there wasn’t air conditioning but (and I quote) the rooms have immense high ceilings and thick stone walls to keep the rooms cool and there was a climate control system). Based on this I booked. Flavours were charging £1899 for the week and I had to pay for my travel. The cost for the week was £2,172.42, not an inconsiderable sum so I expected a certain standard.
When I arrived at Il Palacete I was shown to a ground floor room in what I can only describe as the servants quarters. Room 10 was as different from the brochure pictures as was possible. Small, dark and with cheap furnishings. It did not have any climate control system unless it was a very noisy fan. The view was a wall which had a path between wall and room so anyone could look directly in. If I had closed the shutters my cell would have become a dungeon. The shower cubicle was tiny with no facilities for shampoo, gel etc. this window was overlooked by adjoining houses and the shutters were too high for me to reach.
I complained to the owner Stephanie but no explanation or apology was given and no offer to re-room. I also found that there was an employee of Flavours on this week’s holiday so I told her I wasn’t happy too but she was indifferent and did nothing.
I had a week of sleepiness nights and wanted to go home.
I challenge anyone to compare the brochure pictures and description with Room 10 and I believe this is a breach of contract.

The pool area is small, barely big enough for the 6 of us and the sun beds were cheap, uncomfortable and without mattresses. We used our initiative and took the seat pads from the dining chairs to make things a little better. There were no umbrellas. Flavours describe themselves as giving quality holidays. There was no quality.
Breakfasts were adequate but uninteresting, honey would have been nice. Lunch and dinner were ok, but if you didn’t like something, tough.
Pre dinner drinks were served at 7pm and dinner at 7.30. This gave us all of 30 minutes to enjoy our drinks. In the beginning only Cava was offered but after 3 days we could have G&Ts too, but these ran out after a couple of days. They were then replaced but our week was almost over. On the dinner table just 1 bottle of red and 1 of white was offered for us 6 plus the Flavours employee, pilates instructor and host. Not exactly generous - but we could always say ‘please sir can we have more’ which we sometimes did and then got another bottle.
So, our evenings were over by 9pm and then there was absolutely nowhere to go and nothing to do. My room was too hot and uncomfortable to even read,
To think I paid over £2K for that!
For a holiday like this to succeed a good host is essential like the one we had in Sicily. Alexandra was host and although she was a charming young lady she did not have a clue about being a host. Her duties while at the villa were waiting on table and helping in the kitchen.
Another thing that Flavours should point out to guests is that the ride up to Il Palacete is perilous, with a long narrow winding road with dangerous drops. Some people would not be happy with this.
Il Palacete is a nice building but sits in a moat of gravel, with nowhere to go or walk. As the temperatures were in the 30 and 40s all week then air conditioning is essential. I pointed out to Flavours how unsuitable Il Palacete was but they did not seem to understand, especially as it was their CEO who had found it.
When I arrived home there was an email from Flavours asking to describe our favourite part of the holiday. Mine was easy - leaving.
Holidays are so important, they should provide rest, relaxation and happy memories - I had non of these.
If I had known that I would not get the accommodation advertised because I was not as able as the other guests then I would not have booked.
I have sent 2 emails to Flavours but so far there has not been an apology, explanation or offer of compensation.

PS 18th July. Flavours asked what I wanted so on 14th July I sent them an email detailing this. No reply to date! Have sent it again today.

I have just returned from an amazing week with Flavours in Venice.
The ingredients: a delightful large villa, fabulous food and a fantastic hosting team.

I was enrolled on the photography group and we received sound, practical, well-structured advice to help us get the best out of Italy. In addition, I can use the tuition on going.

As we were joined by the cookery course we were able to enjoy the ‘fruits of their labours’ under the watchful eye of their teacher Vanessa. I now have a better appreciation of how delicious Italian food can be. I also understand they were able to take away recipes and tips to try out back in England.

We did also eat out in places specially selected and they all came up to standard.

I have to say Flavours pulled out all the stops to make this a memorable experience. In addition, I would not hesitate to consider future holidays with Flavours.

Well done to all involved.

I’d had two holidays previously with Flavours, so I was excited to take another Pilates holiday, this time in Puglia.

Sadly, this one fell way, way short of what I had come to expect. The food, the trips and the cookery ‘lessons’ were very disappointing but most of all the very unprofessional conduct by someone who was being paid to be there. Had someone joined us without knowing who was who, they would have assumed this person was a guest. She certainly wasn’t shy about consuming quite a bit of alcohol at dinner especially and then spending almost the entire evening talking about her private life and woes. Twice I went to bed early to avoid this.

Obviously I brought all of this up to Flavours on my return home. They could not have been less interested. There have been numerous emails back and forth. Not once have they openly acknowledged my awful experience, save their usual, it seems, standard ‘goodwill’ £100 compensation.

Despite several emails to ask them to acknowledge and apologise that the holiday wasn’t what they had advertised it as, they weren’t budging from their stance. To say I’m appalled at their awful customer service is an understatement.

If you’re thinking of booking, proceed with caution

Myself and three friends went on our first Flavours holiday in May - cooking in Puglia.
It was a first class experience which will live long in my memory. I really cannot fault it. From arrival until we were fondly waved off by the amazing villa team, we were looked after like royalty.
Monia our hostess was so welcoming, kind and hard working. She just couldn’t do enough for us. A very special lady.
Antonio our amazing chef and tutor made the cooking experience a real triumph. We learned to cook local dishes and then enjoyed eating what we produced at lunchtime. He was patient, skillful and smiley.
In the evenings we were looked after by Ugo the evening chef and his wife who took great pride in cooking the best spread of food I have experienced in a long time.
As for the villa, well, it was absolutely stunning. Beautiful bedrooms, lovely swimming pool and a gorgeous and very large walled garden. The place was spotless and the gardens very well maintained by friendly staff.
The trips out were very enjoyable and we were well looked after by Monia. We ate in 3 different restaurants which were all really good and had a morning out to Lecce which was very enjoyable.
All in all, it was a fabulous holiday and we have already booked another holiday next year. We can’t wait! Thankyou so much to the whole Flavours Team. Keep up the excellent work.

I love cooking and Italy so this sounded like the perfect week for me…and it certainly was! Fantastic villa, amazing host and top chef. Great organisation, nothing was left to chance and we were looked after so well. Highly recommend to anyone. I went on my own but was amongst a group of like minded people who became friends by the end of the week! Already planning the next one.

Another wonderful holiday with Flavours! It even surpassed last year which I loved. We were looked after from the beginning to the end by efficient and caring people. As a group, we all got on so well with plenty of laughs and fun and made lasting friendships.Our tutor Celia gave us encouragement to try different methods of painting which I tried with various results! It was fun to experiment and as a teacher Celia was so patient and helpful.
I’m giving Flavours 5 stars and will definitely be booking for next year, if not before!

Flavours holidays look after you from the moment you book all the way to checking in with you when you’ve got home. I’ve been away with them a couple of times now and can’t fault anything they do.

Along with 3 friends, I have recently returned from my first Flavours Holiday cooking in Puglia! I can honestly say it exceeded all expectations so much so that we have already booked another Flavours Holiday.

Casino Pisanelli is a beautiful and very comfortable villa with delightful gardens. The cookery lessons with Antonio were very enjoyable, he is such a patient and excellent teacher as well as a very accomplished chef. The food we prepared for our lunches was delicious and we enjoyed trying some local Puglian recipes. In the evenings we enjoyed some delicious meals prepared by Ugo and his wife.

Our excursions were excellent and only slightly dampened by the chilly unsettled weather! However the day we visited Lecce was beautiful and we enjoyed a dip in the pool at the villa on our return.

Monia our host was absolutely first rate, a lovely and very hard working lady, an asset to Flavours!

I loved every minute of this fabulous holiday, can’t wait for our next Flavours adventure.

Thank you Flavours – keep doing what you are doing!!

Really enjoyed staying and exploring this part of Western Sicily.
Beautiful villa, excellent host and the two local ladies who taught us and prepared our delicious meals were great fun. Add to that a house party atmosphere, interesting excursions, no single supplement, a holiday to be recommended.

Magical week in Marrakech. So many great activities, a varied programme. Going into the foothills of the Atlas mountains was my favourite part.
The villa and the team there did everything to make the holiday wonderful, nothing was too much trouble. It was a fun and cheerful group so we had many laughs.

I can thoroughly recommend this taster holiday in Marrakesh. A thoughtfully organised combination of yoga, cooking (and eating!), sightseeing and walking in a lovely villa with views over the Atlas mountains. We were looked after wonderfully well by our host Marion. Too many highlights to mention but a visit to the medina, lunch at the Kasbah Bab Ourika and a meal cooked by a local Berber family really stood out. A great week spent with a lovely group of ladies.

What a fantastic holiday. So well organised, lots of laughs. Learning and seeing the beautiful sights of Pisa, Tuscany and Florence. Deffo recommend.

Only critique is I'm vegetarian and sometimes the food was a little odd. Shame for a cooking holiday.

Brilliant taster week in Marrakesh. It’s impossible to choose a favourite part of the holiday, everything was fantastic and well organised, I loved every minute with the wonderful, like minded ladies in our group. Looking forward to my next adventure.