Hi Karen,
Thank you very much for your detailed feedback. I genuinely appreciate it.
I consider all feedback constructive because it is the only way to learn, improve, and provide an even better experience in the future. You wrote a detailed review, so I would also like to reply in detail and explain our side of the experience—in an exclusively friendly tone. :)
I have been working in tourism for 20 years, and I am happy to say that I have had many wonderful experiences and met many great people over the years. Out of the hundreds of guests I have hosted, I can count on one hand the number of people who were genuinely difficult to please or simply not nice.
You are not one of those people, so no worries. :) However, I must be honest and say that I did take some of the things you wrote personally.
You wrote that I was unavailable due to an injury and that this should have been communicated earlier.
I admit that this sentence was difficult for me to read because it makes the situation sound as though my absence was something planned or avoidable. At no point did I promise that I would personally lead or support the trip. I went through our entire correspondence again, and I consistently used terms such as “our support” when describing the service.
That does not mean I did not want to meet you personally. I absolutely did, and I had hoped to greet you during the trip.
Unfortunately, I was involved in an accident only one day before your arrival. I did not plan to get injured, and I certainly did not want to avoid you or your group. I ended up in the emergency room and got stitched and patched up.. I am genuinely grateful to be alive and to still have my head on my shoulders.
I am sorry that I did not contact you immediately from the emergency room, but at that moment, the doctor and my wife understandably had to be my priority. Once I was stable, and able to communicate, I contacted you in a timely manner regarding everything connected with your trip.
I apologize if I created the impression that I would personally accompany or support the group throughout the journey. Although every trip we offer is based on my own first-hand knowledge and experience, I never stated that I would personally provide the operational support during the tour.
Regarding the logistics, we generally follow the same operational standards for all of our self-guided trips, and I am sorry if any information was missed or not communicated clearly enough.
At the same time, it is very difficult for me to correct an issue after the trip has ended if I was not informed about it while the trip was taking place. If something is not working well, we genuinely need guests to tell us at that moment so that we have the opportunity to help.
You mentioned the unexpected heat wave. Unfortunately, we cannot influence Mother Nature, and the temperatures during your trip were unusually high for early May
You also mentioned the cooler, ice, Coca-Cola, and cold water.
You booked a self-guided trip that was designed to remain within a more budget-conscious price range, which is completely fine. We treat every guest with the same level of care, regardless of whether their budget is large or modest.
For a similar price, many companies provide guests with bicycles and route information and then expect them to manage the rest of the trip independently.
For approximately the same price, we provided a private support van and operational assistance throughout your journey. This was an important added value and was intended to make the experience easier and more comfortable for your group.
Although it was not included or promised in the package, we DID provide additional water, snacks, and fruit ( not promised) along the way because we wanted to make the cycling experience better for you.
Regarding Coca-Cola, it is not something we would normally consider essential cycling hydration. However, had you simply sent me a message or asked Goran for Coca-Cola, ice, colder water, or anything else, we would have purchased it for you without hesitation, even though it was not included in the package.
We also changed bicycles free of charge, upgraded some members of the group, and provided an e-bike where it was needed. These were additional adjustments made because our goal was to help everyone have the best possible experience.
Vans main purpose was to handle the cycling logistics and provide several relatively short transfers to and from the starting and ending points of the routes.
Regarding the van, we specifically had the air-conditioning gas refilled the day before the trip. We still do not know exactly why it stopped working. I am sorry the lack of air conditioning made the transfers less comfortable.
You also wrote:
“Furthermore, we were required to have an app downloaded to our phones for biking route navigation. We did not know about this and were told we would need to have either a data plan…”
I am sorry, but I would like to clarify that both the navigation application and the need for mobile data were communicated several months before your arrival.
In February,2nd I specifically wrote under inclusions that navigation for the cycling routes would be provided through the Ride with GPS application. Therefore, the fact that an app would be used for route navigation was communicated well before the beginning of the trip.
On February 2, I also wrote the following:
“The only thing we ask from you is to have some mobile data, either an international package or a local SIM, so we can be in touch through WhatsApp during the trip.”
Therefore, information about using Ride with GPS for navigation, as well as the need to have mobile data available, was provided in advance. I am sorry if these details were missed or forgotten.
I also sent additional reminder before the cycling portion of the trip. I completely understand that people are busy and may not always have time to read every message in detail. However, this information was not hidden and was communicated before the trip.
Downloading the navigation application on the morning of the first cycling day should normally be a quick and simple process. Goran later told me that some members of the group did not want to use the application because they were unhappy that they had to download it at that point.
I was honestly surprised to hear this because we were there to assist you, not to create problems for you. The application was provided to make navigation easier and to help you enjoy the cycling routes more safely and independently.
I also find strange that you had to completely guess the remainder of the route, as Goran and the support van were nearby and available to assist. Did all 4 phones died?
In February, when you asked about the possibility of a flat tyre, I also wrote:
“However, this being said, it can happen that our support needs to assist two of you at different places and cannot come at the very moment, so you should be capable of fixing a flat tyre. Generally, this really rarely happens, but it is good to be ready.”
This was intended to explain the nature of a self-guided trip with support. The support vehicle is available, but it cannot physically be next to every cyclist at every moment, especially if different members of the group are cycling at different speeds or are located in different places.
Regarding the need for an additional battery pack, I agree with you. I did not specifically mention that, and I accept responsibility for not doing so.
However, please understand that based on our experience with ALL of the cycling trips we have operated during the past several years, an additional battery pack had never previously been necessary. Had this been a recurring problem or something we had regularly experienced, I would certainly have mentioned it before your arrival.
Also, had you told either me or Goran during the trip that your phone batteries were not lasting long enough, I would have purchased or provided a battery pack for you free of charge.
These are exactly the types of small requests that we are happy to accommodate. Our only goal is for guests to be happy and enjoy their trip. However, I am not physically with the group at every moment, and I cannot know that someone is having a problem with their phone battery unless they tell me or Goran.
Regarding the Marko Polo Hotel, I am genuinely sorry that you had such a experience there.
The Marko Polo is a hotel that is also used by established international cycling companies such as Backroads when necessary. At the time your trip was booked, and for your particular dates, it was the best available option we could secure in Korčula.
You had originally paid for regular rooms. However, I personally upgraded the group to superior seaside rooms with balconies at no additional charge before the trip.
I made many small upgrades and adjustments like this throughout the trip, often covering the additional cost from my own side because guest satisfaction is extremely important to me. Unfortunately, despite that effort, a problem occurred that I was not aware of while it was happening.
I fully appreciate that Goran exchanged his room with you and that this helped improve the situation. That was exactly the right thing for him to do.
However, I cannot properly intervene with a hotel or demand a solution if I am not informed about the issue while you are still there. By the time I learned the full details, it was already too late to find a different solution.
A few weeks later, I personally visited the hotel to inspect the room—not the hotel itself, as I had stayed there and visited it many times before and already knew the property well.
I agree that it is not a new or luxurious hotel but all hotels were 4* instead of 3 as indicated in inquiry before trip was booked.
I was surprised by the description regarding the smell of mildew and animal feces, as that was not my experience when I visited the room.
Goran suggested that the room may simply have needed fresh air because it had possibly been closed for several days. In many hotel rooms, the air conditioning does not operate while the room is unoccupied, which can sometimes leave the room feeling stale when it is first opened.
I also want to clarify for future readers that the room was not located in a basement. It was situated in the hotel’s terraced wing. This clarification does not change or dismiss your personal experience, but I believe it is important to describe the location accurately.
I also understand that you heard a dripping sound and noticed damage to the ceiling. Again, I wish I had received that information immediately, because it would have allowed me to contact hotel management while you were still there and insist on a solution.
I am pleased that you had a significantly better experience at the other two accommodations.
Regarding the beach towels, I am not fully sure what happened. I saw in the group conversation that you asked whether you should take towels, and you received an answer confirming that you should.
You wrote that this should have been communicated earlier so that you did not have to scramble to find them. I understand your point, and this is something we can explain more clearly to future guests.
At the same time, the need for beach towels can depend on each guest’s personal plans. Not every guest chooses to swim, and not every accommodation allows its room towels to be taken to the beach. Once you asked, the information was provided, and the hostess also helped you.
I am also pleased that you enjoyed hotel in Dubrovnik, its views ( upgrade) , and its swimming pool.
Regarding the transfers, thank you for recognizing that I arranged several additional services that were not part of the original package.
I arranged transport in Split from your hotel directly to the ferry instead of from the airport, transport from Hotel Adria to your accommodation inside Dubrovnik’s Old Town, and finally transport from the Old Town to Dubrovnik Airport.
These arrangements were made to make the trip easier and more comfortable for your group, even though they were not all included in the original agreement.
Regarding communication overall, I accept your feedback, and I will certainly learn from it. There are always ways to explain information more clearly and remind guests of practical details closer to the beginning of each activity.
However, I also have to say, respectfully, that communication works in both directions.
Some of the things described in the review as having never been communicated were, in fact, communicated in writing before the trip. This includes the need to have mobile data available.
I also wanted to meet you personally.
While you were in Ston, I sent you a message and, despite being on crutches, walked for quite some time, hoping that I might be able to see you. Unfortunately, I received your answer only a few hours later.
There were also other occasion when I sent messages and did not receive an answer until later.
At the same time, when you contacted me after midnight to ask whether I was awake, I answered. When you contacted me at approximately 6:00 in the morning, I also answered. I reviewed our correspondence again before writing this response.
I mention this not to criticize you, absolutely not, but to explain that I genuinely tried to remain available and responsive despite my accident and injury.
Overall, I believe that the trip went well in many respects, although I accept that certain parts of the experience could have been better.
We were genuinely happy to host you, and there were certainly no bad intentions from me, Goran, or anyone else involved in organizing and supporting your journey.
I recognize thinks like that I could have specifically recommended bringing an external phone battery, and that you had a negative experience with the room at the Marko Polo Hotel.
At the same time, some circumstances were beyond my control, while other matters could likely have been resolved or improved if I had known about them while the trip was still taking place.
I also believe it is important to clarify that both the use of the Ride with GPS navigation application and the need for mobile data were mentioned in writing several months before the trip. I will emphasize it more strongly in future,
Your feedback has been heard, noted, and appreciated. We will use it to improve the practical information and reminders we provide before future self-guided cycling trips, particularly regarding navigation applications, battery packs, beach towels, hydration, and daily logistics.
Thank you again for travelling with us and for taking the time to share your experience.
Sending many regards from Croatia!
Best
Robi
