Private guide post cruise

[Marseydotes]

We will be staying overnight either in Southampton or closer to Heathrow since our one-a-day direct flight home is a bit early for comfort.

i am hoping to find a Private tour through the Cotswolds and then a drop off at our hotel. It seems to be hard to do! Any suggestions?
 

[Sauer-kraut]

I did a search and came up with this website: https://www.wilsonchauffeurservices.co.uk/e/

This is not a recommendation but it might be a place to start.  The search terms I used were car and driver cotswolds  and scrolled from there.

[phabric]

Check out www.internationalfriends.co.uk under Shore Excursions. They only go on embankment/disembarkment days.

 

I have used them from Dover and Southampton.   They pick you up at dock, tour then they drive you to your London hotel or LHR or LHR hotel.

[Cotswold Eagle]

On 11/30/2019 at 7:53 PM, Marseydotes said:

It seems to be hard to do!

 

In what sense? I suspect you will get better advice if you explain what the problem has been finding a tour. 

[matamanoa]

We used 
Southampton White Taxi for our day out to the Cotswolds.  Owner Dave Besant was great to work with as far as what we wanted to see and he planned out a route for us, giving us enough time in each town to explore.  He was prompt, courteous and we ended up using him the next day to get us to our hotel to the ship. Hope this helps.

 

Barb

[jagsfan]

Southampton White Taxis was great for us. 

I began dealing with Dave’s partner, Lance Bradley but sadly he became very ill and Dave had to handle everything. 

Both men were super efficient and friendly at the same time. 

Our vehicle was a large and luxurious van, and Dave is a calm, excellent driver. 

I would recommend the company to anyone. 

[John Bull]

Phabric mentioned International Friends' coach tour-transfer from Southampton to Cotswolds etc and Heathrow.

Here's that tour-transfer

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/Cotswold-Villages-Downton-Abbey-Locations-Country-Pub-Lunch-to-London-Heathrow.html

It will fit your needs perfectly if your ship is one of those listed by them. 

 

If not, a private service based in the Cotswolds is of no use - far too many empty miles.

I suggest you e-mail the car transfer services based at the Southampton end, asking if they can suggest a basic route through the Cotswolds and suitable stops, and if they can allocate a driver who knows that area well. 

You'll need to give them start & finish times (they can be adjusted later), and tell them your number in party (and luggage).

And you'll need to tell them where you want to finish - more of that below.

As well as prices, you should be able to figure from replies who's both interested and knowledgeable.

Try

https://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

they're the touring arm of West Quay Cars - altho not qualified guides they put their most experienced, knowledgeable and customer-friendly drivers onto these jobs.

and

http://www.smithsairportcars.co.uk/

Both are frequently recommended by Cruise Critic members.

More by googling "private transfers Southampton UK"

 

If your flight is before about 10.30am I suggest you overnight at Heathrow - an earlier flight would need a private transfer from Southampton that morning, costing about £90 and negating any savings by the tour finishing back in Southampton.

With a later flight you could overnite in Southampton, though a  flight before about 2pm would need an early start by bus

https://book.nationalexpress.com/

If your flight is after 2pm I'd certainly suggest overniting in Southampton - the tour cost will be lower by more than the next morning's bus fares to Heathrow, and Southampton's pubs & restaurants are way more welcoming than soul-less airport hotels.

 

JB 

 

 

[Marseydotes]

Thank you, everyone, for your advice! I will check on these options. My problem seemed to be strange—have done many private tours with little problem. But, I have contacted four options with no response at all! A fifth responded once and never again. Perhaps we are hoping to go too far astray from their usual places.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, Marseydotes said:

Thank you, everyone, for your advice! I will check on these options. My problem seemed to be strange—have done many private tours with little problem. But, I have contacted four options with no response at all! A fifth responded once and never again. Perhaps we are hoping to go too far astray from their usual places.

 

That kinda depends on the location of those you've contacted. They need to be based at one end of the ride or the other - the Cotswolds are way off the direct Southampton to Heathrow route, so a Cotswolds operator would have a long drive to the pick-up and again after the drop-off. 

But "too far astray" isn't a problem - a day-long tour/transfer is the sort of job that operators look for.

Mebbe you're asking way too soon ? (if it's for 2021 you'll struggle to get a commitment now) 

Mebbe your e-mails have gone to junk files?

Did you specify that your end destination is an airport hotel, not a same-day flight?  A Southampton - Cotswolds - Heathrow isn't a job that operators would want to fit into  a same-day flight.

 

Bear in mind that Southampton' is a turnaround port but rarely a port-of-call, it's not a tourist city so there are few "tour operators" looking for the tourist dollar.

But there's a big demand for cruisers' transfers to / from airports or central London. And rather than the Cotswolds they're quite used to some wanting stops on or close to the route, like Winchester or Salisbury or Stonehenge or Windsor. So you need one, like Discover the South,  that has widely-experienced drivers and specialises a little more.

 

Nonetheless, 0 out of 5 with not even a "sorry, can't help" is a pretty a pretty poor reflection on operators  

 

JB  

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by John Bull

[Bob++]

I'd be interested to know which operators the OP tried. Were they in Southampton or elsewhere?

Edited December 3, 2019 by Bob++