Balkan Escape Reviews

Name: Balkan Escape
Address: Henrith Business Centre, 3 Enterprise Way, Spalding, Lincolnshire
Rating: 4.94

4.9 Rating 870 Reviews

100 %

of reviewers recommend Balkan Escape

Company Reviews

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About Balkan Escape:

Our aim is to deliver unforgettable holidays to Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro. Our dedicated and professional travel experts are on hand to offer advice and provide expertise to ensure your holiday is suited to your needs

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Phone:

01775719891

Email:

holidays@balkanescape.co.uk

Location:

Henrith Business Centre,
3 Enterprise Way,
Spalding
Lincolnshire
PE11 3YR

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Balkan Escape 5 star review on 3rd July 2026

Louise A

Balkan Escape 5 star review on 20th June 2026

Loraine H

Balkan Escape 5 star review on 19th September 2025

Nicola G

177

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 4 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Our two centre holiday to Lake Bled and Rovinj was exactly as described in the itinerary provided by Balkan Escape. The booked transfers were on time and professionally delivered. especially the transfer between Lake Bled and Rovinj with the stop at Postojna caves. The Park Hotel in Bled was well located and the lake view exceptional. Island Hotel Croatia on St Andrews island Rovinj was also very good, clean with good choice of bars, restaurants and pools. The timetable provided for the ferry to and from the island however was incorrect. The ferry only operated once per hour each way which wasn’t a problem but worth noting for other guests! Overall we were very happy with the holiday and service we received from Balkan Escape and would definitely consider booking with them again.”

Helpful Report

“Jack Fleming at Balkan Holidays handled our booking and always responded promptly to any emails or other queries. He put together the itinerary we wanted and made adjustments to our return transfer as requested whilst on holiday. The taxi transfer was waiting for us at Ljubljana airport he had to wait as the flight was delayed. It was fast and efficient albeit not a lot of conversation. The City Hotel was very good, lovely room with a small sitting area. Facilities in the room were good. The staff in the reception area and the restaurant were helpful and polite. Breakfast was very good with plenty of choices including local produce which were really nice. We were able to leave our bags on arrival as we were too early for the room. Ljubljana is a small compact city it was very interesting with lots of places to stroll and eat out. We did a free guided walking tour which was interesting. We walked along the river to the Modern Art Gallery and also north to another gallery and the Tivoli gardens. Most areas were within easy walking distance. The city was very busy with tourists even end May. Fantastic fruit and plants market, we also visited the lesser known underground cheese and fish markets. The climb up to the castle was steep and we had a look around but it’s been modernised in a lot of areas now as an event space. Sadly on the last night we spotted a man in the square with a live Emu encouraging tourists to have their picture taken with him. I found this upsetting. The locals know him and just accept this is ok which these days is not. At the end of our stay we did our own local bus transfer to Lake Bled. This was easy and quick and the staff in the bus station very helpful. The Hotel Rikli Balance in Lake Bled is set up high above the lake something we were not aware of and didn’t anticipate when dragging two suitcases up the hill 20 mins from the bus station. The room was beautiful with a balcony overlooking the lake. The hotel only provides basic soap and shower gel, there is a sign stating they want to be environmentally friendly. We did have some issues mainly with housekeeping. Firstly they kept changing the towels every day when we had not left them on the floor to be changed. Secondly they knocked and walked in several mornings whilst we were getting ready/dressed for breakfast, on one occasion there wasn’t even a knock. Breakfast was plentiful with enough choices especially as we are very health conscious and found a good range of nuts, seeds, chia, flax yoghurts etc etc. Dinner was buffet style; which we are not keen on, with several choices in each course, however we felt the quality of some of the dishes lacking. Watery overcooked vegetables, and tough overcooked meat. Service in the restaurant was mixed, one older waiter shouted at me as he walked away the first breakfast when I tried to ask about the yoghourt. I complained to another senior waiter. Unfortunately this was quite upsetting and put me on edge for the rest of the visits to the restaurant. The ethos of the hotel is to follow Arthur Rickli's example of wellness, but the pool was anything but a wellness area. It was more like a council leisure centre. There is a slide, large concrete areas with sunbeds that no-one was using, other small polls and Jacuzzi. The outside pool is tiny you could probably get about 2/3 strokes in it. There were sunbeds outside but they cannot be accessed separately you had to go through the pool turnstile to walk through mixed changing rooms and poolside before getting outside. There was no feeling of wellness about the pool area and no adult pool except apparently in the sauna area which you have to pay to enter. There are a good number of concreted areas outside the rear of the hotel with no seating to speak of. To access the hotel from the lake you have to walk up a good number of steps and through a shopping centre. I did speak to the reception regarding the housekeeping and the restaurant. I just feel that the Hotel’s identity as a “Wellness hotel” doesn’t quite work. We mainly did our own walks both around and above Lake Bled and also a trip to the waterfall on Lake Bohinj. We visited Bled castle which is set up high with great views and worth the climb. The lido wasn’t open so we didn’t get a chance to swim in the lake and the other lake swimming area was at the opposite end of the lake to the hotel I would book with Balkan again but would probably take more note of the hotel facilities and yes I would recommend to friends.”

Helpful Report

“The service was excellent, the holiday plan met expectations except the accommodation in Dubrovnik at Villa Filaus was disappointing. The building was lovely and the location was good but all we had was a room and there were no other facilities at all and the room was not serviced until we complained. Had we been aware of all of this we would have stayed elsewhere. This seems to be the result of poor communication between the Company and the Villa owners.The complaint remains unresolved. We would still recommend Balkan Escape.”

Helpful Report

“Very satisfied with my recent holiday to Croatia. Balkan Escapes put together a 3 centre holiday exactly as I was looking for, arranging flights, accommodation and transfers. It was like a package holiday but doing exactly what I wanted. The accommodation was excellent, the transfers went smoothly, I couldn’t have asked for more. I’d have no hesitation in recommending the company and would certainly consider usin them again”

Helpful Report

“This is the second time we have booked a holiday using Balkan Escape. I would say that the service provided is helpful, timely and efficient. The holiday met all our requirements; we found the day trip ideas very helpful and booked ourselves two of the recommended trips. This helped fill our itinerary and make the most of our time in Italy. We appreciated the tip about using local transport for the transfer between Pisa airport and our hotel, the Pizamover was cheap and very simple to use. With regards to the hotels, Hotel Pisa Tower was in a great spot, the room was lovely and staff very helpful, the only issue was the fact that they were digging up the road right outside our room and work commenced at 0730 both mornings. Hotel Santa Maria Novella was also lovely, great location and the staff were helpful, I had chosen this hotel based on the fact that it had a roof top terrace bar, however it appears that this may only be open seasonally and it wasn’t open during our stay. Seven Suites was a collection of apartments on the fourth floor of a multi-purpose building, thankfully someone was leaving the building on our arrival and assisted us with gaining access. The reception is only open until 2pm, therefore there was no one present on our arrival, cleaning staff gave us access to our room. The breakfast was provided by a bakery/café next door, this was always busy, usually leaving standing room only. The breakfast choices were either coffee or juice and the option of a pastry. Although the room was nice and clean, it didn’t provide the service l would expect from 4 star accommodation. The transfer arranged to Rome airport arrived 30 minutes early, we had no notification regarding this and was unaware of who would providing the transport. Thankfully we were ready and in the café, otherwise we would have been completely oblivious to this fact. All that being said, we did enjoy our holiday, l just thought the honest feedback regarding the hotels would be important. I would recommend Balkan Escape to friends and family. Kind Regards, Vicky.”

Helpful Report

“Jack was super helpful in ensuring we had an enjoyable holiday”

Helpful Report

“Good service”

Helpful Report

“Excellent help planning our holiday. Extremely efficient and well organised.”

Helpful Report

“e had a fantastic holiday and truly enjoyed ourselves. Our needs and expectations were well met throughout the trip. The accommodation and transfers were mostly excellent. Our first and last hotels were amazing — comfortable, stylish, and exactly what we had hoped for. Transfers were smooth and well-organized, which made the journey stress-free. The second hotel in Korčula, however, was a bit of a letdown. It felt dated, with a small bathroom and towels that had seen better days. The lack of robes was noticeable, and breakfast didn’t quite match the quality of the other two hotels. Service was inconsistent, and overall, I wouldn’t recommend this particular hotel to friends — unlike the other two, which I absolutely would. Balkan Escape provided very good service and took the stress out of the entire process. The booking experience was smooth and hassle-free, and I wouldn’t suggest any improvements — everything worked perfectly. I would definitely book through Balkan Escape again and would happily recommend them to friends and family.”

Helpful Report

“Good destination choice.Transfers & ferrys well organised. Royal Ariston Hotel good.Access to old town good. Aminess Port 9 Hotel.Room good.Food limited & poor.Hotel generally tired.Access to old town good. Hotel Cvita.Room good.No dining or bar facilities available.Taxi needed for access to old town.No facilities or shade on nearest beach.”

Helpful Report

“Balkan Escapes provided a professional and helpful service. They listened to our needs and provided the flexibility needed to accommodate and change their set itinerary. Great communication and background support throughout. Airport transfers were great but nothing was arranged following the Ferry transfers to different locations within Croatia. We were warned that some Taxis company's exploit travellers so we used 'Bolt' (recommended), to pre book and pay for a taxi. It didn't turn up, leaving us out of pocket and having to pay for another. I'm not sure why these transfers were not booked by Balkan Escapes when all the others were provided without request. Overall Balkan Escapes provided us with a enjoyable holiday making it easy to book with clear instructions for a multi centre trip”

Helpful Report

“Well organised liked the hotels although Kotkula Hotel larger than we're used to. Just one hiccup where a photo was missing to locate the accommodation in Split”

Helpful Report

“Booking was easy & any communication was prompt & helpful Hotels were good but some had no lift which made getting cases up stairs difficult for our age group The first 2 did have a lift inside the 3one on Brac didn’t and was positioned well up a hill Ok if you are reasonable fit Think would have been better to have 4 nights on Hvar island & 3 on Brac as there seems to to more to do especially if you were using the local bus. Found food on the whole was fairly expensive Would have liked kettle in room Hotel in Hvar happy to make tea in the evening The pick up and transport arrangements were spot on it saved a lot of hassle All in all well planned holiday would recommender you to others”

Helpful Report

“Very efficient taxi service. Great accomodation. Friendly and helpful service. Highly recommend.”

Helpful Report

“Balkan Escape organised out two centre holiday in Croatia. The two hotels were pretty standard, although we did not eat an evening meal at either hotel. The breakfasts were plentiful and fine. The transfers were organised and worked out very well. We were kept informed of the details and timing of transfers. All of the Croation people involved were excellent. The holiday certainly met our expectations.”

Helpful Report

“Very helpful guidance in the planning stage. Flights, & transfers all fine and everything went to plan. The accommodation you found for both parts of our holiday were just what we were looking for. Would certainly consider Balkan Escape for another holiday”

Helpful Report

“Although it took some back and forth to clarify exactly what I was looking for, Balkan Escape came up with a good package at a reasonable price. All the documentation was clear, and all the travel/transfers were very efficient. I would recommend Balkan Escape and would use them again if travelling to the area.”

Helpful Report

“Holiday needs were all met. Accommodation and transfers all good and went smoothly. The first hotel on Hvar was good but there were large groups of boorish male Brits in the pool swearing and being general drunken dickheads. Not your fault but hey ho. Service from Balkan Escape was excellent. Yes we would use you o book again.”

Helpful Report

“Good hotels and locations. Hassle free holiday as the arrangements worked seemlessly. Highly recommend and we’ve already booked our next break with Balkan Escapes.”

Helpful Report

“Excellent company. Helped us plan a 15 day 3 centre holiday in Croatia which worked very well. They organised all the amin. tickets, transfers etc. and it all went very smoothly. We had one problem (not their making) which they dealt with quickly and efficiently. One small fault (which is why its a 4 star and not a 5 star review) The flight back from Split was booked for 7pm. which we accepted as did not realise there was more than one flight that day. Had we been given the information on all flights that day we would have taken an earlier flight back to the UK. I assume the 7pm flight was the cheapest and that why it was booked for us However it was a small niggle and we would definately recommend the company and would not hesitate to use them again.”

Helpful Report

Balkan Escape is rated 4.9 based on 870 reviews