Many reviewers highlight staff and drivers for helpful, professional service. Several others describe low hotel standards, poor food, and dirty rooms. Some guests mention long, tiring coach journeys, with occasional safety concerns or breakdowns. Slow, missing replies and delayed refunds come up repeatedly.
Examples from available reviews (Nov 2021 – Feb 2026).
The staff were very helpful throughout.
“Very helpful staff”
Everything was spot on and the driver Martin was excellent.
“best driver we could have asked for”
Refund after cancelled trip was delayed beyond the promised timeframe.
“After numerous phone calls & 18 working days still no refund.”
Shortened trip and poor hotel and food left the reviewer dissatisfied.
“the food was rubbish the hotel was rubbish”
Many reviews praise front-line staff and drivers as helpful and well organised. Some mention specific driver actions, such as reuniting passengers with lost luggage. A smaller set describes driver behaviour or vehicle faults that made trips less comfortable and caused delays.
Many customers call the breaks good value for the price and mention coaches running on time. Some reviewers report extra fees or compensation they felt did not match the problems, which they see as poor value. Only a minority mention specific charges.
Phone bookings and in-person service get steady praise for being clear and quick. A few comments mention online booking issues, but they are not common. Several travellers describe long transfer times and multiple pick-ups that reduced comfort.
Reviews repeatedly criticise hotel standards and food, including reports of dirty rooms, no showers, and poor meals. Some trips include acceptable or excellent hotels, but negative accommodation stories appear again and again. Coach problems, such as equipment not working, show up from time to time and led to missed connections.
Many reviews mention slow, limited, or no replies to complaints and refund requests. Several customers describe long waits for refunds after cancellations. A few note acceptable responses or confirmed refunds, but most comments on this topic are negative.
Feedback splits between strong praise for staff and drivers and sharp frustration with hotels, logistics, and how complaints are handled. Good and bad experiences appear in the same areas, leading to very different trip outcomes. Accommodation quality and post-issue communication come up most often as problems.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (40) · Reviews (20) · Reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: February 2026
Enjoyed the itinerary and staff, but final hotel service disappointed.
“excellent itinerary with a top courier in John and an excellent driver in Tony.”
Holidays well organised with clean hotels, good food, and excellent drivers.
“The holidays are well organised”
Refund after cancelled trip was delayed beyond the promised timeframe.
“After numerous phone calls & 18 working days still no refund.”
Hotel excellent but concerns over coach operator, many pick-ups, and paid confirmations.
“Also too many pick up points.”
Driver Phil was exceptionally helpful and reunited them with lost luggage.
“He waited in Cleveleys until we caught up and reunited us with the bag.”
Everything was spot on and the driver Martin was excellent.
“best driver we could have asked for”
Refund delayed over two months after a cancelled theatre booking.
“we have yet to receive the refund over two months later.”
Loved the well-organised trip with great drivers and hotel.
“Excellent well organised trip.”
Excessive travel time and lack of heating made the trip very uncomfortable.
“the trip took us over 10 hours some was on the coach for nearly 11 hours”
Received only a standard reply and poor customer service after complaint.
“Standard email reply from them.”
Complaint ignored after returning from a poor hotel stay.
“no response.”
Travel company reduced services, changed pickup and under-compensated customers.
“costing me an extra £46 in taxis, and when I complained I was given a measly £10.”
Long waits and poor logistics made the Paris trip very disappointing.
“no chance to eat on arrival after 12 to 14 hours.”
Poor coach quality and rushed schedules caused an unpleasant, unsafe journey.
“No thought for passengers health and wellbeing.”
Trip cancelled by phone and single-room uncertainty prompted refund decision.
“cancelling my trip to Italy in September,”
Charged £25 to change a passenger name due to illness.
“£25 just to change a name, caused by illness”
Trip cancelled without notification and deposit refund delayed two weeks.
“cancelled the trip WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME.”
Well-planned weekend with excellent show, hotel and helpful driver.
“Thoroughly enjoyed.”
Poor organisation and delays made the Christmas shopping trip terrible.
“worst trip we’ve ever been on .”
Passengers dropped near dangerous protests and left unsupported by driver.
“we didn't feel safe.”
Just wanted to say how enjoyable and exceptional our holiday was. We are very grateful to the National Holidays team that made our booking so easy. In addition, they chose the best destination for us and the kids had lots of fun. It was our first time visiting Cotswold and I must state that the scenes were so beautiful. The hotels where we spent our five days were elegant with well decorated rooms. The meals were delicious. How we wished we could extend our stay there and continue having fun. Thanks once again for treating us to these unforgettable experiences. Will definitely use your services again. They are affordable and first-class.
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarised without changing the content of reviews.
National Holidays is a UK coach holiday operator offering day trips, short breaks, and multi-day tours. It publishes itineraries that usually include coach travel, hotel stays, and tickets for shows or attractions. Customers book online or by phone, with agents handling reservations and enquiries. National Holidays uses contracts with coach operators, hotels, and venues to provide organised group travel.