Skills Holidays Arvostelua 

The staff were very friendly, helpful and efficient. The holiday was well organised and went very well.

The Seasonal Vegetable Tour
I have just completed a week staying at the St Ives Bay Hotel in St Ives. This was a holiday arranged by Skills, so it was a coach holiday packed with excursions touring Cornwall and the English Riviera.
My en-suite room was spacious and clean — without needing to get the microscope out — and I had a window looking out towards Porthminster Beach and across the wider St Ives Bay. So, as far as the room itself and the view were concerned, I couldn't really complain.
Getting to the room, however, was another matter. There were four flights of cumbersome stairs and no lift option. Fine if you're training for Everest, perhaps less ideal for a coach holiday largely populated by people in their sixties and beyond.
The stay was half-board, offering a breakfast buffet and a three-course evening meal.
The lounge and entertainment area had a bar that opened at 5:30 p.m., but the prices were so high that many people decided the walk down the hill to the nearest bar was worth the effort. A small glass of red wine cost £10 — daylight robbery, especially when you consider it didn't come with the vineyard.
On the last night, some of us finally decided to risk the hotel bar, only to be told they had run out of lager. This wasn't because of its overwhelming popularity; it appeared to be a stock-control problem. In other words: bad management.
The first evening meal was a showcase of things to come. The one-sheet menu proudly advertised "Brussels pâté with bruschetta." What actually arrived was pâté accompanied by three croutons and what can only be described as a small bush of lettuce. Apparently, the bruschetta had taken the night off.
Fortunately, the other people on the coach made the holiday. They were mostly sixty-somethings, more settled-in than the troops at Stalingrad and considerably less well-equipped for the hotel's stair-climbing challenge. They were a great bunch, though, and the humour and company on the coach made up for a lot of the hotel's shortcomings.
Two sisters refused to stay in their original room because, in their words, it resembled a bookmaker's toilet from the 1980s. After some very vocal complaints, they were eventually moved to another room.
More concerning was the experience of a 92-year-old veteran. He said his room was so small that he could stretch out and practically touch the walls in every direction — and there wasn't even a window.
Despite asking every morning, he had to wait four days before housekeeping attended his room. He wasn't asking for the Ritz treatment; the man simply wanted a change of towels.
Eventually, he asked the manager to come and look at the size and condition of his room. According to him, the manager simply laughed and said he was already aware of the room and there was nothing he could do about it, so he would essentially have to "suck it up."
That attitude probably summed up the biggest problem with the hotel. Buildings can be old, rooms can be small and things can occasionally go wrong, but poor customer service and a lack of concern are much harder to excuse.

Summary
The best part of the holiday was Cornwall itself and the excursions organised by Skills. We visited some fantastic places, and the coach driver and host, along with the rest of the people on board, made the trip genuinely enjoyable and fun. The trip will infamously be referred to as the seasoned vegetable tour due to the frozen vegetables that swamped the main courses each day.
If I had one piece of advice for Skills, it would be to seriously reconsider using the St Ives Bay Hotel. The excursions and coach holiday were good, but Skills risks having its own reputation dragged down by the hotel's poor service, questionable catering, lack of basic attention to guests and, most noticeably, the nonchalant attitude of its management.
There was a suggestion that some of the hotel's lack of care was because it was closing down. Whether that is the case or not, they are still taking bookings and accepting people's money. If you're open for business, guests should still receive the service they've paid for.
Cornwall? Excellent.
The excursions? Excellent.
The coach driver, host and fellow passengers? Excellent.
The hotel? Well... let's just say the view from the window was doing a lot of heavy lifting.

I chose to book with Skills because of postive feedback from friends etc .This holiday was pariculary significant to me ,as it was my first solo trip after the death of my husband in January 26 ,I was very nervous about travelling alone and if im honest i very nearly cancelled , I m so glad i didnt .Cheryl and Andy have been exceptional throughout the whole trip ,they have been incredibley attentive ,understanding ,kind and very professional, Cheryls patience and support really pushed me through me out of my comfort zone ,they helped me feel welcome ,safe and reassured and what can i say about the banter between Cheryl and Andy , god they made me laugh ,which i so needed . They are both a credit to your company and i hope to see them again on another tour . Unfortunately my experience of the hotel itself was extremely disappointing and it appears many others of the what is now named The Seasonal Vegetable Tour shared the same concerns ,the standard of the accomodation has fallen well below the expectations created by the hotel description and Skills reputation , the breakfast were ok but cold some mornings, the 3 course dinner wasnt nice ,uncooked fish ,over cooked potatoes and the use of seasonal vetables ,in other words the most cheapest frozen mixed vegetables they could find ,bad eggs or green scrambled egg .Luckily my room had a fanastic view ,for which im grateful for , but the room was dirty and broken in other words .I bonded well with the fellow travellors especially Jill and George who was 92 ,he was a lovely old soul who i could listern too for hours ,unfortunately his room was tiny and for the money he paid was disgusting ,room refreshing was non existant and management were very abrupt and didnt have good customer service skills . The trip itself was really good ,visiting places ive never been to before.The bar in the hotel charged what it wanted

Always go the extra mile to make holiday special

Every day trip or holiday ive booked, on pick up the staff have been well presented and polite, the destinations have been fantastic along with the hotels.

Their receptionist/booker is first class at their work, friendly and well presented as are all the drivers, plus the drivers have a nice sense of humour, just what is needed on a bus journey. Driving first class.

Very helpful and explained everything thoroughly

All my questions were answered quickly and able to book what I wanted. The agent was very polite.

Excellent company always use you to travel to Derby county away matches.

My father and I went on a day trip to Whitby. The coach was very comfortable, even for larger folks like us (we were on an Optimum coach). Our drivers were friendly from pickup to drop off, which was very agreeable.
We were dropped off at a convenient place and picked up too.

We have already booked our next trip.

Room allocated was very dirty. Other people's hair on sheets. Slept on top of quilt with clothes on. Asked to be cleaned properly absolutely no difference. Food good. Staff helpful. Very good shops. Will never travel with skills again

easy to book
pick up from home a bonus, all good

Everything is straight forward and you talk to a real person

Easy to follow format with plenty of information.

This was a 'full-on' experience with a very responsible and positive group of people. Nobody was late for anything even an early morning start to return home. Everyone looked after each other and this positive and respectful attitude was fostered by our leaders/drivers Andrew and Trina. Their driving skills were exemplary even when they had to think on their feet. The 'singing' from the front of the bus as the miles passed by relaxed the atmosphere and 'Hi-de-Hi' was usually met with some kind of sleepy response. My only criticism would be the hilly climbs or steep stairs caught many people out. These castles are not for 'cissies' but Trina, in particular, ensured that everyone survived! It was a worthwhile experience and everything worthwhile is not easy. You will not find this type of architecture and opulence anywhere else. It is astonishing! Finally my thanks to Andy and Trina for their efforts. They were a credit to Skills.