Sonatours Arvostelua 114

We had a very bad experience with Sona tours. We booked a trip to Scotland with Sona tours on 25th July 2024. We were a group of 5 members.
On the 1st day itself our seat numbers were allocated to us from 42 to 46. The tour manager Neema Gohil requested us to sit one seat row behind because she wanted to accommodate other passengers.
All members in our group were over the age of 75 yet that was not taken into account and we were made to sit in the last row. On the last row we could hardly hear the announcements on the mic.
On the frist day dinner was at 9.15.pm on the 1st floor. Every one was extremely tired. The quality of food was very poor. On the second day as well the dinner was horrible, the cutlery was wet the quality was bad and the service was appauling. It was only on the last day thay dinner was served on time and the quality was good.
The tour manager is not capable to handle group an timings. Every time we waited to take photos, our group takes the longest to get out of the coach cos we are right at the end, hence we do not get enough time anywhere. I was stuck in lift one of the days.the experience was traumatising I pressed emergency button an security guard came after 15 min. I called manager but she just said that Ramada reception will help. But no one came, only the bus driver came.
Last day on the way back we reached lecister and the tour manager forgot her biscuits box. So bus had to drive back to lecister. Waisted 40 min .we reached London at sona tours office at 11pm.
Every one was upset. I traveled lot with different tours. With sona tours I am not happy at all, I will not be recommending sona travels to anyone and I will be posting this review on social media to raise awareness

The 4 day tour to Scotland was really enjoyable. It was good value for money. The coach was comfortable. The sightseeing arranged were very good. The Ramada hotel was perfectly acceptable. The evening meals could have been better for sure. I think Sona tours should look into the quality of restaurants they offer. Having tour manager Nima was very helpful as she always shared little tips & clear instructions which made ours and rest of the passenger’s trip lot easier. She was very accommodating throughout and took care of everyone (even the ones who were extremely unreasonable 🫣) Having travelled with several other tour managers with other tours companies, we feel that Nima was only one who went extra mile to make sure everyone enjoyed and were comfortable. The driver Abby was helpful and friendly. Wishing both of them the very best.

Would I book with Sona Tours again? The short answer is a resounding YES!
The 12 day Electrifying Japan tour was massive fun, the hotels were really nice and the Indian meals that were provided were great too.
There was not much time for some of the lunches and it would have been good if a pit stop was made at a convenience store to grab sandwiches.
If you are thinking of booking this tour don’t hesitate it was a good value for money holiday and it was a fantastic way to see an amazing country, experience its beautiful culture and meets its friendly people.

I am disappointed to learn that you have edited your reply to my review posted on 18 May 2024.You have added positive comments stating they are from clients that I had booked for. I can assure you those comments are not from my group 05/07/24.
In your original reply you said that I did not once mention about my Travel Insurance arrangement. I wasn’t aware that it was necessary or obligation for me to inform or discuss my Travel Insurance with you. Secondly, your T& C states any changes made before 28 days, customer losses 30% of deposit, but it does not clarify if the cost of holiday is paid in full or is discounted, yet you claim it is verified. You have not shown any gesture of goodwill nor commented on any other issues that I had raised in my review.
Having posted my experience of inconvenience and disappointment with Sona Tours on 18/05/24 and we were hoping our mini break to Scotland would be pleasant and not disappointing.
Unfortunately, with regards to “Food and Hotel”.
On the first evening the food in Firangi was disappointing. Everyone in the tour complained about the food. The tables were sticky, the bar area was filthy, the crockery were all wet, we were worried if we were going to be ill. The restrooms were not clean and had an awful/foul smell. When the tour guide said to us that we will be going to the same restaurant (Firangi) on the third evening, we were all disappointed and insisted that the guide should take us to another restaurant and suggested that he should contact Sona Tours to change the Venue, but this was out of his hand. The tour guide said that he cannot contact Sona Tours for authorisation and said that we have no choice but to go to Firangi on the third evening. On the second evening the food in Mr Basrai’s was good as there were many verities and choices.
Holiday Inn where we were staying would not be counted as 3 Stars, because the housekeeping was very poor. No cleaning was done, even the beds in the morning were not made up. Glasses and Cups were not washed, and left where they were after use. The toilet, floor and the shower was not cleaned at all.
Please do not blame on the level of service your third party provides. I believe it’s your responsibility to check that venues offer good level of service.
Couple of items on the itinerary was not visited as they were closed which is understandable.
On the positive side the Tour Manager/Guide was friendly and knowledgeable. The driver of the coach in Scotland was very good.

We joined SonaTours on their Scotland trip from 27 to 30 June, and it was an outstanding experience. Our tour manager, DJ was exceptional. DJ explanations of the places we visited were clear, insightful, and to the point. His friendly demeanor made the tour even more enjoyable.The coach driver Assam drove smoothly and ensured we were always on time. This made the journey comfortable and stress-free. The food provided during the tour was delicious, and the hotel accommodations was clean but the double bed was small and worn out. But the gluten free breakfast was good adding to the overall positive experience.Having been on my first tour with SonaTours, I can confidently say that they planned this trips exceptionally well. I highly recommend traveling with SonaTours for a well-organized and enjoyable travel experience.Thank you, DJ, for making this Scotland trip unforgettable!Also a big thank you to Jesal who was very helpful and patient in helping me complete the booking online and answering all my questions.

Would like to start by thanking some amazing people Nijesh Shah was an absolutely amazing tour manager, cannot fault him at all he always put the group first in terms of safety, well-being and happiness. Kay San our local guide was very very knowledgeable, would always answer any questions we had, and if there was something she was not fully sure on she would fact check and get back to us. Both of these people just exuded kindness and happiness! The tour itself was meticulously planned with good time at each sight or activity, Nijesh and Kay san even went out of there way on a few occasions to really treat us and give us an authentic Japanese experience which I know we and the group will never forget. I personally am a lot younger than the rest of the clientele on the tour but everyone was so lovely we bonded over the first two days and really had an amazing time, lifelong friends have been made certainly! I will definitely be visiting Japan again and what an amazing first time with Sona Tours! :D

We went in a group of 14 by Sona tours to Devon and Cornwall dated 25/5/24. Following recent excellent tour to Scotland, this tour started with a great disappointment with late start, substandard small coach and less efficient driver. However, it was rectified on day 2 by replacement with large coach and new driver.
Tour guide was not very friendly and at times sounded rude and insulting as well by citing unpleasant examples and directly targetting Indians for hotel theft picks which was too insulting. Never did he have any introduction talks to know that he was talking to a bunch of highly learned and affluent doctors and professionals. He needs to be told that politeness and courtesy are basics for direct public jobs like these.
Hotel selection was very nice and comfortable except for very limited choices for vegetarian breakfast. Eggs are not to be considered as vegetarian breakfast and there should be an alternate option for it as all vegetarians are not eggetarians. Sorry for adverse but honest comments.

We went to South America on 11th April 2024 with sona tours. itinerary was very good and well organised. In 24 days we covered four countries and being a vegetarian we didn’t struggle for food, All hotels and restaurants were very good.

And to enjoy this kind of holiday you need good tour leader and our tour leader DJ was excellent, He treated all of us like family members no matter how busy he was , DJ always had time for us. He is very professional and experienced. We’re already planning another holiday with Sona tours and we’re hoping DJ will be with us.

Thank you very much DJ

Excellent tour company! They take care of each and every detail with utmost care. We enjoyed a lot with our 7 month old daughter.

We faced a lot of issues, we were told seats were allocated, which weren't, so ended, being scattered & got seats at the back.Not so happy with the 2 guides, the Indian one was not very knowledgeable of Japan, any questions we had, he didn't know & couldn't give us an answer. The Japanese guide was very knowledgeable but struggled for words, not very good command of English. Group number was very large, 35, very difficult to cope. No variety of food @ dinner monotonous Indian food. Homeward journey, 8 hours wait, could've got us an earlier flight. Not very good value for price paid. I also, forgot to mention, when l gave Rita, a cheque @ Sona Tours, there was an error, at 1st, she asked me to initial it but on 2nd thoughts, she asked me to write a new cheque. After few days, she calls to say cheque has been sent back, she doesn't know the reason. Ultimately, they said l had pay £20/ because the cheque was sent back, saying l hadn't signed it. Isn't the duty of sonatours to check details before they accept it? It was an error on their part & make money of me £20/ l would never recommend anyone to take sonatours again. There are so many negative reviews, l wish l had read them, before booking with them. I have learnt my lesson.

We all senior citizens, ladies went to Bali in Sept 2023 and we had a great time. Despite the food was not to our expectations but Sona tours changed the menus to Indian food which made us feel like not missing home. They had chosen great hotels with amazing breakfast menu. The itinerary with all the sight seeings went smoothly. The local guide was very helpful but had a mix English which confused us but gave us a laugh. Will recommend Sona tours for Bali tour.

Overall a very good tour although a little hectic. DJ & Emiko looked after us very well. Emiko was a great guide and very informative. The hotels & breakfasts were all great apart from the set breakfast at Sengokuhara Prince Hotel. On the plus side the hotel's Onsen facilities were great. All Indian dinners were good though spicy. Personally we would prefer less chillies, however we understand that Sona has to cater for the whole group. With regards to the non-Indian dinner of pasta & pizza, we would have preferred more than the one slice of pizza and less of the pasta. Thank you Sona for the wonderful surprise of the sushi cooking lesson. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed it.Overall we had a great time and look forward to booking another tour in the near future.

Great team at Sona Tours; very pleasant.

It has been a great trip to the Lake District with the family. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. Thank you

Tour taken was Canada Alaska tour. Guide was very professional and knowledgeable. Canada on land itinerary was good except last two days. Hells Gate excursion was not worth the time and money spent. Staff members at the office in London has inconsistent answers for the same questions asked by individual group members. We paid for category 2c balcony room but ended up getting lower category 2d room.

I booked with sona tours twice before that’s my third time this experience was so bad they didn’t stay with the planned day the driver lost several time took wrong turns we spend the whole day on the coach than the Indian food place was non vegetarian instead of a halal food as I request on the application and it was awful experience , than the hotel was good looking the rooms air condition was not working in either of those nights and Tv was not working in my room complaint to Receiption no results and daughter got bitted by bed bugs awfully the bathroom door lock not working none our bedsheets wore changed . Than tour guide was not so nice he was busy guiding his native peoples.I requested to seat with my family the agent in the office said the tour guide will arrange it than the tours guide also said the once we get all the people than his going to sort out our seats but these 3 day tour he never sorted it out my family we all seat far from each other .than the Disneyland day tour guide give out Disney tickets but not my family he keep saying he has my ticket but didn’t give it us until I got bit angry my kids wore upset not having the tickets.I paid more money as my little one didn’t go on the offer so I paid full ticket price for all of us .experience this rubbish time it would be much better to take euro star never take this service again in my life I would advise everyone better to us other service than this you don’t get full day tour we all stack in the coach for whole first day.

We took the 4 days Scotland Highlands tour in August 2023(17th - 20th) and by end of fourth day we realised that Sona travels had arranged a bus travel for 4 days with few sightseeing spots. One of the most basic tours with no facilities in the bus. No WiFi, no charging points and even the toilet had restricted use with zero water facilities.
Coming to the tour itinerary - the first day started with a delay of 1 hour. We were not provided with the tour manager contact details and no bus information. Cable car in Ben Nevis was cancelled due to weather issues but there was no alternative arranged. What a shame! Extra charge for boat ride in Loch Lomond. Edinburgh castle visit was arranged on a festival day which made the entire sightseeing very stressful and delayed. Most of the spots were just shown from outside or while being inside the bus. One of the worst tour experiences. Last day ended worst with no sufficient stops for toilets.
Tour manager - The tour guide/manager had zero knowledge about these historical beauties. She barely knew anything about the city or any basic information. She was polite and hospital. However there was zero entertainment throughout the trip. It expected that when we are given some positive experience.
The only positives were the dinner for first two nights and the driver....who drove very safe and maintained the timings.
Hotel - As promised 3 star it was not even a budget stay. The rooms were very basic with no facilities like water bottle, phone, AC or cleaning of sheets. We had request for towel change. Only positive was the breakfast....hot and fresh continental range.
I will never recommend this travels to anyone. It's a waste of money experience wise.

Thank you for give me good option for tour and good price for 27/05 other companyies is to expensive or remove date

A fantastic experience and a great itinerary packed with lots of sightseeing. Ajay handled the big group very well.