We all fell in love with Armenia. We really had a very happy time. Astghik arranged a wonderful and varied itinerary which took us to all parts of Armenia. She was very responsive to our request to take in as many of the monastic sites as possible, so that we visited some monastic sites that are rarely visited by other tour groups. Astghik took the trouble to call me on the phone a couple of times in advance of our trip to check that the itinerary, transport and accommodation she planned for us, met our needs.
The cultural heritage of Armenia was a revelation, and we found all our days there very rewarding and absorbing. The scenery was amazing, the monasteries absolutely wonderful.
We were extremely well looked after. Our meals and accommodation were all good to outstanding, and transport was also perfect for our needs. Our driver was very patient and safe so we had every confidence in him. Our guide, Janna Aharonyan, was very friendly, caring and knowledgeable and was willing to incorporate extra visits whenever we asked. We enjoyed her company.
We discovered that Armenia is a very safe and comfortable place to visit. Eating (and drinking) out is cheap by UK standards. Yerevan in particular is a delightful city – it was an easy place to walk about in, with many lovely cafes and restaurants. Women in our group felt quite comfortable and safe walking back to our hotel on their own late at night for example. Outside of our itinerary, we enjoyed our evenings. One evening we attended a symphony concert at the Opera House , another (weekend) evening we visited the Vernissage market and bought a couple of small carpets, for example.
Although none of us spoke Russian or Armenian, on the whole we managed to communicate enough to get by. In Yerevan, in most restaurants and museums, staff can be found who speak English well. In some more remote places like Dilijan, it was a little more difficult but we managed!
We all felt that our trip was very good value for money and have plans to book another holiday through Evaneos in future
The cultural heritage of Armenia was a revelation, and we found all our days there very rewarding and absorbing - the scenery was amazing, the monasteries absolutely wonderful.
We cannot think of anything to improve - we enjoyed every moment.