Holiday Issue 2019

73 Mar19042 The Experts in Tailor-Made Luxury Tours Established in 2005, Lemon Valley Holidays is an award-winning travel company specialising in creating handcrafted tours to Andalucía, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Named as the UK’s Leading Tailor-Made Tour Company in LUXlife’s 2019 Leaders in Luxury programme, we spoke with the company’s Director, Nicola Wright, to find out more about their exceptional services. Luxury services are becoming more and more about customisation and personalisation. Partner this trend with an ever-increasing demand for the ‘experience economy’ and you have a very potent combination indeed. It’s in this environment that Lemon Valley Holidays has thrived through its commitment to truly bespoke holidays, as Nicola explains. “We are a small family run business who specialise in arranging luxury holidays to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We began working solely in Andalucía in 2005, and, over the years, have expanded our expertise to cover a wider area. Our clients come to us from all over the world; with a common desire for an authentic experience of these countries, combining characterful hotels, professional guides, local knowledge and arrangements that work like clockwork.” This idea of customisation permeates every facet of Lemon Valley Holidays, extending from very first contact to the day of the tour. “We work closely with the client on a one-to-one basis to ensure that their holiday is exactly as they would like it to be. We often use hotels, guides, drivers etc. that we have worked with for the past fifteen years who have become an extended part of the Lemon Valley family; always taking exceptional care of our clients and going above and beyond every time. Ultimately, our business is based around old-fashioned, traditional customer service combined with the latest technology and exceptional local knowledge allowing us to fulfil the needs of our discerning clients from all parts of the globe.” Lemon Valley’s small size works in their favour when it comes to ensuring this high-level of customer-centricity, allowing all members of the team to share the same core values. “The main aim is, at the end of their holiday, the client has had a memorable trip that will stay with them forever. We are also all passionate about working with local companies in all of the areas we operate to assist the local economies: promoting sustainable tourism. These values are deeply ingrained and working side by side we can encourage new employees to engage in the same ethos.” In many ways, Lemon Valley Holidays was a precursor in an industry that has only grown more competitive over the last decade. Yet, they have distinguished themselves through their expert approach and unrivalled dedication to delivering an exceptional client service. “By all regards, the travel industry has exploded over the last twelve years. When we began in 2005, we were quite unique in combining independent travel to historical and cultural areas, with pre-arranged hotels, guides and transport, but with the emergence of the powerful dynamic booking engines, this has become a very popular way to travel for the masses. However, people still see the benefit of not having to wade through the incredible choice of accommodation and activities available; to be safe in the knowledge that we include only tried and trusted elements into a client’s holiday and we are on-hand 24/7 the whole time they are travelling in case they need assistance.” Finally, the conversation turns to the future of Lemon Valley Holidays, as they look to embrace expansion. “We are in the process of developing an exciting new website with many more tours; delving deeper into these three fascinating countries – there are also some ground-breaking ideas that we are keeping close to our chest until they launch.” Contact: Nicola Wright Address: Isle of Wight, United Kingdom Website: www.lemonvalleyholidays.com Telephone: +44 78671 13368