TESTIMONIALS
"(Kathy and Andy) were wonderful hosts and we had a great time. Thanks for setting up the homestay".
Note that Kathy and Andy offered hill-walking and cooking sessions as well as the standard homestay experience.
Phyl and Chuck Thomas (Colorado, USA). July 2017.
"I had a wonderful stay with the Colemans. They were very kind and made me feel at home. I would certainly recommend a stay there to friends, or would go back myself. My room was very comfortable, and the food was excellent and healthy. They were also very helpful with everything."
C. Mercier (Quebec, Canada). July 2016.
"Staying in Bath with Julia and Charlie has been a great experience that I strongly recommend to everyone. A nice and cosy house near the city centre, a very comfortable and quiet bedroom for guests, lovely hosts, good food, wine and conversations. In short: A real home from home. I also want to thank Jane for her help before, during and after the trip. I can state that the services she offers in Bath are highly professional. If you are planning a visit to Bath, do not hesitate to contact her".
Maria Briz (Alicante, Spain). December 2015.
"We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Bath and especially our time with Paul and Catherine. They were very gracious hosts and their home is beautiful. We have no regrets in choosing this Homestay. Even though they lived farther out from the centre of Bath, the bus stopped very close to their home which made getting into the city very convenient. Also, thank you for finding us a place to stay with such short notice. You were so helpful and found us the perfect place. Thank you for all your help!"
Beth and Brian Lesemann (Bath, USA). November 2015.
"The homestay accommodation was perfect, Julia & Charlie were wonderful hosts. Friendly & very helpful with directions and what to see and do. The horse and carriage was brilliant, and Sue the guide was very informative and a pleasure to spend 2 hours with. The 2 days in Bath was amazing and the weather was perfect. I really enjoyed my stay. Thanks for all your help".
Donna (NSW, Australia). June 2015.
"(Tony) carefully planned (the tour) in terms of timing and sensitively paced it according to my walking ability. From the bus station to the bistro, the experience was exceptional. In fact, I am still in its glow! I was fortunate indeed to walk with Tony, whose knowledge and hospitality exceeded the finest of expectations and I do hope we meet again. Thank you for your attention to detail Jane and for your selection of Tony for my benefit".
Dr. Leonora Ketyer (USA). July 2015.
"Our (Spanish) guide was fantastic. She explained us all. She is very friendly and adapts to the people. Her Spanish is very good. Whenever I return to Bath, I will contact you to have another tour. Thank you very much".
Miryam Gines Mayoral, Academia Gines S.L. (Spain). June 2015.
"Everyone spoke highly of Andy. They felt he pitched his talk at exactly the right level. I understand many questions were asked. This is always the sign of interest being captured by the style and content of a talk. It was the first occasion when we welcomed an "after dinner" speaker. Its success is measured by the request that it is repeated at each future event. Thank you for the recommendation and for making the arrangements".
John Penny (UK). After Dinner Speaker (about Bath). June 2015.
"Gracia (Spanish guide) was brilliant - knowledgeable, articulate and very pleasant to be around. We all loved her!"
Anonymous (Portugal). January 2015.
"The (Spanish) tour was excellent and Pascal delivered a well-paced and informative discourse about living in Bath during the 18th Century. My guests thought that she was really personable".
Andy Hancock, UK Defence Attache (Paraguay). October 2014.
"Tony was *perfect*! We had such a great time, and his tour was exactly what we were looking for. He was warm and personal and knowledgable. We really appreciate it!"
Renee Culver (USA). World War 2 Bath in the Blitz Tour. July 2014.
"The tours went very well thanks to the very good guides Tony (panoramic bus tour) and Richard (walking tour). Everybody in my group liked them a lot and they were very happy in Bath.
I will ask for them again next time I’m in the region".
Anonymous (Netherlands). July 2014.
"Thank you Jane for such well-organized homestay in Bath. The result was better than expected.
With Cath and Pete I shared their beautiful house and their time teaching me how to pronounce in the English properly and, which is more difficult, how to use the kitchen knives without cutting my fingers. They were excellent teachers with whom I improved my English very much. Besides this professional exchange of skills there still remained time for dialogue in a comfortable atmosphere on different subjects and views around a good table tasting the delicious food prepare by Pete.
With (artist) Andrew, I discovered a different way of visiting Bath looking at it from the point of view of an artist, discovering the light and colors of this magnificent city and living every moment to the full."
Monica Sanchez (Spain). May 2014.
"Thank you Jane, for a well-organized tour and especially for making us all feel welcome. It was great fun to dress up and imagine what it must have been like to live in Georgian Bath, a nice different way to do a walking tour. Caroline was a knowledgeable guide and it was an added bonus to be invited to view Jane Austen's former residence, I'd love to stay there next time I'm in Bath!"
Kellie Blom (New Zealand). Jane Austen Tour. May 2014.
"(My parents) thought the tour was fantastic and that Kirsten was very knowledgeable and the perfect person to do such a tour".
Jenny (UK). Pubs & Breweries of Bath Tour. May 2014.
"Tony was exceptional and everyone enjoyed his talk. Some of the girls were dubious about a guided walk, but even by half way around they were all intrigued and several of them have spent a great deal of time in Bath and had not known a lot of the things Tony discussed. He was friendly and worked hard to find ways to get in the warm (everyone was chilled by the wind). I fully recommend your walks and Tony in particular as a wonderful guide."
Laura, Hen Party Group (UK). April 2014.
"It was a huge success. Amy was an excellent guide and the lecture proved very insightful...many thanks for helping us out, I am most grateful".
Anonymous (UK). Architecture of The Circus Tour. December 2013.
"Perfect tour...Tony was magnificent and I would love to use him again for similar events. The driver too, and the bus - absolutely superb in all respects and the agents were blown away by Bath as a result. Many, many thanks for setting it all up at such short notice!"
Mark Lloyd. Principal, Kaplan International College Bath. November 2013.
"The walking tour was very enjoyable, with tons of interesting information, Caroline did a splendid job!"
Stijn Poortmans & his Orchestra (Belgium). August 2013.
"I spent a week in Bath thanks to Jane Hands who at the very last minute before going on holiday was willing to try and find me an accommodation. My hosts, Cath and Pete Finch, were very welcoming and helpful in every aspect, providing precious information about Bath, its history and lifestyle... and lovely dinners! I enjoyed every moment spent with them. Their house is 15 min walk to the town centre, in a quiet residential area. I would certainly recommend them to everyone who loves interesting conversations, great food and that feeling of being among old friends."
Maurizia Ferrari (Italy). July 2013.
"It was lovely and such a treat to arrive in style..." (newly engaged Katie chose a horse drawn carriage to transport her and her mum to a local Bridal Wear shop to start the hunt for a wedding dress!)
Katie (Bath). June 2013.
"Jane at Experience Bath did a beautiful job organizing a trip for our 50+ wedding guests to Stonehenge and Bath. Being so busy with wedding planning, we wanted someone with good local knowledge to take control and set up a memorable trip with the minimum of fuss, and that's exactly what we got. The guests were treated to a fun and fact-filled insider look at Bath that they wouldn't have got alone, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thanks, Jane and Thomas, for a job very well done!"
M&S (Switzerland). May 2013.
"We all had an informative and fun time. Thanks for organizing things".
Jeff Hewson (Florida, USA). May 2013.
"The tour went very well thank you – Tony was very well informed and good company. We really enjoyed it and luckily the weather held for us too – thank you Tony!"
Beacon Planning Ltd. (Cambridge). April 2013.
"We (mixed group of adults & children) had a great time! Learnt plenty. Saw things we had never noticed before and enjoyed it hugely when a passer-by, genuinely lost, got into the spirit of things and said to Thomas, "good my Lord, where is the Fashion Museum?!" – good to meet (Thomas) and see his personality and style at first hand".
HJ Colston (Bradford-on-Avon). March 2013.
"Thanks very much for the private tour of Bath that Experience Bath arranged for our family on my Mum’s 80th birthday recently. We all enjoyed the minibus tour of the streets where Mum used to live and were especially moved by the visit to the graves of the Bath Blitz victims, some of whom Mum had known. I really appreciated the background research that Jane from Experience Bath put into preparing this personalised tour for us and to guide Tony for his enthusiastic and knowledgeable delivery. It’s good to meet a guide who knows how to listen to his group and not just recite facts at them. I should also mention how impressed we were by our driver Vince for his detailed knowledge of the backstreets of Bath and at how he managed to squeeze a 16-seater minibus though some very narrow gaps! I’d recommend a customised tour from Experience Bath to anyone looking to get the most out of a visit to Bath, especially those with some family connection to this fascinating city and the beautiful countryside around it".
Stuart Smith (London). January 2013.
"I have received feedback from the client and they were very happy with how the tour went, they specifically said that Thomas was good and very interesting. So thank you for organising and please pass my thanks on to Thomas. We will definitely be in touch should we have another similar enquiry".
FiveHats Event Management (Bath). January 2013.
"We recently moved to Bath to enjoy living in a city again. As we did not know anyone in Bath we asked Experience Bath to design a familiarisation tour for the family. It turned out ideal for us with a tour of the city by a local guide who not only recounted the history and local stories about Bath, but also showed us the theatre and cinemas as well as mentioning local events. We then had a tour of the outskirts of Bath in a car, where we got to know the local neighbourhoods, where the good pubs, parks and restaurants are. Included were other practical points of interest for new residents such as such as where the schools, hospital, garden centre and night clubs are as well as advice on out of town shopping. A great trip which was tailored to our interests."
Vicki Davies (Bath). December 2012.
"(The tour) was amazing thank you - even despite the weather! Thomas was great - happy to tailor the tour to whatever we wanted, and made it a very enjoyable couple of hours. Lots of fun facts and we learnt so much more about Bath and the history than we would have if we'd just walked around on our own."
Alex Barr (New Zealand). December 2012.
"I have talked with my clients and they have nothing but praise for the experience they had in Bath. Jo was there waiting for them at Heathrow to drive them to Bath and gave them so much information about the area, even suggested a wonderful place for lunch.They asked Jo to join them for lunch so they could learn more about the area. She was then right on time to pick them up the next day and to take them to Abingworth Hall and again gave them so much information as they drove through the country side. Thomas was a delight and did he ever know the history of Bath. They so enjoyed Thomas and would certainly request he and Jo again when they are in that area. I would along with my clients recommend Experience Bath with out hesitation to any one that is going to be in the Bath area. Thanks again for arranging this experience for my clients."
Dianne Bradford, Bradford Travel (Indianapolis, USA). October 2012.
"My mother and I stayed at Jane’s for ten days. Jane is a very approachable and welcoming person (she is also a very good cook). We really felt at home straight away, sharing the meals and the Olympics on television with Jane and Lewis, her husband who has proved to be very helpful with our broken camera! Speaking English wih her and her family was really nice and helped me improve my English. Staying in a genuine British family plus Bath being such a wonderful city made this journey perfect. Thank you so much."
Louise and Mandy Carles (Chambery, France). August 2012.
"The (Gardens in Bath) tour was wonderful and everyone enjoyed it a lot! The guide was fantastic and really knowledgable - he really had a feeling for the group and made the tour really appropriate for us."
Felicity Haskell (London, UK). August 2012.
"Had a tour with Thomas in Bath 3 weeks ago. Loved him. Thomas, we miss you and we miss Bath!"
Penny Burke (Melbourne, Australia). July 2012.
"It was great fun. We enjoyed mining Thomas's extraordinary memory and knowledge and came away appreciating much more about Bath. We will probably want to do a follow up at some stage."
Anonymous (UK). July 2012.
"Jane at Experience Bath offered a first class service to me and ultimately to my client when they were on site. The booking process was very simple from start to finish - will definitely be using again in the future."
Eton Travel Agency (Windsor, UK). May 2012.
"We had a wonderful morning with Thomas. He was delightful and very informative. It was a wonderful way to visit Bath. We especially loved lunch in the Pump Room..."
Marilyn Wright, Stephanie Hannon and Barbara Cohen (Pennsylvania, USA). April 2012.
"Everything went smoothly from first contact with Jane to completion of the Tour. Jane met us herself on arrival, escorted us to the convivial Circus Cafe, and there we were picked up by Thomas, our excellent guide. Strongly recommend if you want the personal touch and superb service."
Sir Christopher Coville (Dorchester, UK). March 2012.
"It was a very informative tour; (the client) learnt a lot more about some sites he had already visited and saw some that he didn’t know about. He mentioned he was surprised at how rich Bath was in history and found it all very interesting.... I would like to say thank you for both being understanding and flexible in helping me plan the tour. If we ever need tours in the future I will be sure to recommend you."
BMT Defence Services Ltd. (Bath, UK). March 2012.
"The tour was super. All the girls really enjoyed it and also some of the more scandalous information. Thomas is entertaining, knowledgeable and very friendly. Thank you!"
Mary McCarthy, Hen Party Group (Dublin, Ireland). March 2012
"We only spent a short day in Bath but we were impressed and enchanted. Our guide, Thomas, was wonderful and we saw and discovered things we didn’t expect. We will never forget our visit to Bath."
Class 3C, Linguistic course of study at Istituto Superiore Statale “G. Mazzini”(Napoli, Italy). February 2012.
“I had an amazing time visiting Bath! Thank you Jane for arranging some excellent accommodation and city tours for me. Bath is a very interesting, historical city with beautiful parks. My first visit was during the annual Bath Christmas Market set around the stunning Bath Abbey. In addition to visiting historic sites such as the magnificent Roman Baths and the spectacular Royal Crescent, Jane also arranged for me to have an amazing experience at the Thermae Bath Spa. It was so relaxing taking a spa on the roof top with a wonderful view of Bath. I enjoyed my initial visit to Bath so much that I ended up having Jane arrange for me to return several times during my one-year stay in the UK. I also greatly enjoyed the time I spent with her and her family. I could experience what it is like to live in a British family, enjoying traditional dishes such as a Sunday Roast Dinner and Afternoon Tea, going out to local pubs and restaurants and shopping at local stores. Jane Hands is extremely friendly and approachable as well as trustworthy and efficient with a great knowledge of the city of Bath. Her experience living in Japan for two years also made it easy to communicate as she is familiar with Japanese customs and a little of the Japanese language. I am keeping in touch with Jane and can’t wait to go back to Bath again! I would highly recommend using her to make a visit to Bath more enjoyable and memorable”.
Rika Abe (Sakata, Japan). October 2011.
"I received 24 hours of English tuition from Jane Hands in Bath in August 2011. Jane is cheerful, friendly and devotes herself to her work. I studied English conversation and reading and so on, and also enjoyed cooking English traditional meals and singing songs. She not only taught me English indoors, but also took our group out to a local supermarket and to the Museum of Bath at Work. She tried to comply with our requests and actively did her best to show me the culture of Bath even though we had only a few lessons. I appreciated her efforts".
Machiyo Nakanishi (Fukuoka, Japan). November 2011.
My name is Claire, I'm 19 years old now. 3 years ago I spent a week in Bath with Jane Hands and her family. I have to say that it was a really nice and complete experience.
First of all, a linguistic experience:
"Every morning I had English lessons with Jane for 3 hours. It was really interesting because we were working on my areas for development in English. I worked on listening and reading comprehension and I had to write a diary every evening in order to correct my written English. The lessons were complete and I made a lot of progress because Jane was adapting herself to me and speaking slowly for me. I have to say that she was a really nice teacher."
Then, discovering the city of Bath:
"I visited the city during my trip. Jane introduced me to the Roman Baths and guided me around the city, which is really beautiful. I learned a lot of details about Bath from her whilst sightseeing and during our lessons. Bath is also interesting for shopping."
Finally, experiencing life with a British family:
"Jane's family was really nice to me and always trying to talk to me and share many stories in order to include me. I clearly made a lot of linguistic progress from Jane’s lessons but I have to say that her two little daughters helped me with my English too! I played a lot with them and we shared many activities. They were very young (3 and 5 years old) but they were talking to me all the time and I had to understand what they were saying. It was really difficult at the beginning but then soon I was playing My Little Pony with them very easily…!"
"I have to say that it was a perfect experience and I was sad to leave at the end of my trip. I would advise anybody who wants to have a great linguistic trip and a real human experience to share some time with Jane and her family."
Claire Gautier (Paris, France). November 2011.
"Jane Hands is a competent English teacher. I think that her lessons will fulfill the expectations of any student willing to make the effort to learn. I recommend Jane's English lessons".
Tomasz Mazur (Poland), November 2011