Testimonials
I've received many lovely comments since Hobnob Tours was set up in September 2012 to guide customers on walking tours around London and Hampton Court. I am delighted to share a few of them here but do also check out the reviews customers have kindly left for Hobnob Tours on Trip Advisor.
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I almost don't have words for how amazing our tour with Sandy was today. Sandy is an amazing storyteller and brings things to such vibrant life making the old seem very relevant. thank yo so much for the family memory and a perfectly historic royal day.
Alison C, USA, April 2024 (Hampton Court Palace)
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Thank you for an absolutely wonderful experience. Your tour was my favourite tour of our entire trip.....you brought the palace and people to life. I really appreciated the extra details you added like how many calories people consumed a day. It gave a lot of texture to the tour.
Kelly M, USA, March 2024 (Hampton Court Palace)
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A huge thank you from us - we absolutely loved it. We all said we could have continued all day! You were superb and pitched it perfectly for us.
Susan S, UK, February 2024 (Hampton Court Palace)
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Thank you for a GREAT tour; we enjoyed the day very much and will 10,000% recommend you to all of our friends!
Carmen V, USA, November 2023 (Hampton Court Palace)
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Thank you so much for the tour today - we learned so much and loved every minute! Also, we really appreciate the last minute accommodation!
Kim L, USA, November 2023 (Hampton Court Palace)
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My parents did a tour with you recently and they absolutely loved it. Do you tour a different area that I could book for them?
Becky R, UK, October 2023 (Mayfair)
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We really enjoyed the tour. I really liked your knowledge of history and how you presented it in such a clear way. It was delightful meeting you.
Ann D, USA, August 2023 (Hampton Court Palace)
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The boys and I enjoyed your company very much. My oldest son said: 'she's really good, mummy, I'm glad you found her'. Thanks again Sandy.
Maria R, USA, August 2023 (St James')
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I just got back to my hotel from our lovely tour today. I can't thank you enough! I had such a wonderful time and you were the BEST guide!! You were knowledgeable and fun and just such a delight. I felt like I had known you for years. I couldn't have imagined a better day.
Karen B, Canada, June 2023 (Hampton Court Palace)
You were a wonderful guide, we all thought so! Thank you again Sandy.
Rebecca B, USA, February 2023 (Hampton Court Palace)
We can fully recommend that a private tour with Sandy will be thoroughly organised and will be enjoyed by anyone. We had a great day thank you so much Sandy.
Peter H, USA, November 2022 (St James')
I've never seen a 100% excellent rating before but after our Hampton Court tour with Sandy, I can see why. She was on time, waiting at the entrance. Her every concern was to cater to our interests and time. I could not have enjoyed our time more.
Holly M, USA, September 2022 (Hampton Court Palace)
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Wonderful revelations! Bowled over by Sandy’s description of surroundings I’d worked in all my life and not noticed or enquired about. ....... she is exceptionally interesting and knowledgeable on so many aspects we’ve not been able to stop telling our friends about. My wife and I would like to do more of her tours.
John and Elizabeth, Cheshire, August 2022 (Mayfair tour)
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Sandy was a knowledgeable guide and very kind to move at a comfortable pace so my Grandma and I could enjoy the storytelling, works of art, and fusion of architecture. Being a history buff and a passionate student of Tudor history, this tour was everything and more. You will not be disappointed. Have a tour with Sandy, and the reign of Henry VIII and William III will be brought to life before your eyes! Enjoy!
Westin, USA, August 2022 (Hampton Court Palace tour)
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Words cannot express how impressed I was and the enjoyment. Sandy was beyond amazing. Such knowledge. ..... the venues were lovely and she got me in positions that allowed me the best viewing. Cannot thank her enough. If you want fun, knowledge and great timing, book Sandy.
Brenda, American South, July 2022 (the Four Palaces tour: two in London, two at Hampton Court
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Our family of four (43, 42, 10 & 14) loved the tour. Sandy asked me ahead of time what might be of particular interest to our kiddos and really tailored her discussion to that. Our son can be shy but she patiently drew him out of his shell and engaged with both kids throughout the tour. Before our trip, she checked in to see how we were managing with the tube strikes in London and offered to help however she could. I cannot recommend her enough.
Erin L, USA, June 2022 (Hampton Court Palace tour)
What a great day! Sandy is the perfect guide - personable and amazingly knowledgeable. Her love of Hampton Court shone through. Do not visit the Palace without her.
Tom W, USA, June 2022
An amazing stroll through Mayfair and St James. Sandy my guide is charm personified and her knowledge was extensive, informative and delivered in an easy friendly manner. I cannot recommend this tour more highly and next year, when I return to London, off to Hampton Court I will go with Sandy.
Margaret, Australia, May 2022
Not only did Sandy make our visit from London to Hampton Court seamless and easy, she also guided us through the estate and explained every detail which brought the experience to life. There are so many amazing historical facts and Sandy presents them as an intriguing story - just wonderful!
Renee C, USA, May 2022
Sandy was awesome - I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon walking tour with her. She has so much knowledge about the history, the culture and the society of all the people who lived there - from the Tudor dynasties through to the Georgians and into the modern day uses/workings of the palace. Walking through the centuries old palace with her is like a step back in time, she does a great job of bringing things to life!
Jeff W, USA, February 2022 (Hampton Court Palace tour)
Sandy and this tour we cannot recommend highly enough! Prompt, personable and SO engaging with her knowledge and personality she brought everything to life for us as it was in the Tudor era through to today!
Jennifer M, USA, February 2022 (Hampton Court Palace tour)
Sandy gave my husband and I a personal tour of Hampton Court Palace and she was fabulous......We had to reschedule our tour multiple times due to unforeseen circumstances but she was incredibly flexible and accommodating. We hope to book her for more tours on our next trip to London. Thanks so much Sandy.
Mallory, USA, March 2020
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Thanks so much for an interesting and enjoyable tour today. Jake (aged 11) told his sister that it was amazing and she missed out; he said you were a great guide and I totally agree! I'll be happy to let friends know about you.
Janine and Jake, Australia, January 2020
Thanks again, Sandy. We had a terrific time on your tour and will keep your card for future visits by us and family.
Natalie, Australia, December 2019
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Thank you so much for a very enjoyable and informative tour of Hampton Court. We managed to do the Maze in under 10 minutes!
Sarya, London, October 2019
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Thank you Sandy, we had the best time. And both your St James' and Hampton Court tours were amazing.
Devon, USA, September 2019
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Thank you ever so much for the excellent and enlightening presentation of Hampton Court; we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was a pleasure meeting you and we will be in touch when we return home.
Ned And Nanette, USA July 2019
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Hampton Court…Another superb guide. Contacted us before to confirm time and meeting place. Knowledgeable, friendly, told us things we were interested in…no fluffy stuff. Wanted to know our interests and even got us to see the royal tennis court and the wine fountain from the golden tent summit. She was lovely. And she texted me afterwards thanking us for using her services…brilliant.
Message sent by Linda and Roger from the USA to the agent who arranged their London itinerary, June 2019
We cannot thank you enough for the wonderful experience we had with you yesterday. The tour was amazing, your knowledge and passion for history and London was amazing and it has definitely been the highlight of our stay in London.
Salvatore & Sofia, Melbourne, June 2019 re the Four Palaces Tour
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Thank you again! Your tour was 'A1' and we really enjoyed it!
Mike and Kathy, Toronto, May 2019
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We had such a wonderful time and we truly appreciate your helping us organize our transportation from Heathrow and everything after! It was a truly memorable day (taking in Hampton Court Palace and the fascinating St James' area of London)
Beth and son Sam, USA, March 2019
The team has been saying all morning how much they learned and enjoyed your tour, you were brilliant! So thank you again!
The team from Knight Frank estate agents in Mayfair, January 2019
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Hello Sandy! We had a wonderful time with you and for the rest of our stay in London. We truly loved the tour with the knowledge and stories really made it come alive.
Victoria and Phillip, New York City, November 2018
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Thank you again for another wonderful tour! We had such a good time today and time just flew by. We spent the afternoon lunching at Fortnum and Mason, shopping there and at Paxton and Whitfield, and at the wine store! (Berry Bros & Rudd!)
Stephanie, USA, October 2018
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I love to travel with my tween/teen kids and bring history alive for them by visiting significant landmarks with experienced guides. Sandy did just that for us in London as we walked around Green Park, St. James, and Buckingham Palaces and made sure that we were in the right spots to get the best views of the events leading up to Changing of the Guard. We then had a lovely lunch near Trafalgar Square and grabbed a train to Hampton Court where we learned so much about the Tudors. My girls and I not only enjoyed the tour tremendously, but it was so nice to spend the day with Sandy who made us feel so welcomed and at ease.
Shannon, Atlanta, September 2018
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Thank you for a very enjoyable and knowledgeable tour. A lot of fun and nice to meet you too! Will definitely go to your website.
Peter and Mary Lou Rankine, San Francisco, August 2018
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I very much enjoyed your tour - as I remember, your explanation of real tennis was particularly good!
Rob, London, trainee Blue Badge guide, July 2018
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We loved our day at Hampton Court yesterday and than you for sharing all of your knowledge and kindness with us!
Jennifer, USA, July 2018
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Really enjoyable tour Sandy. Awesome knowledge. Great delivery.
Robert, London, July 2018
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We all absolutely loved our tour with you! Hampton Court has replaced the War Rooms as Sophie's favourite place we have visited. You did a wonderful job bringing everyone into the loop in history and background of the palace.
Stephanie, USA, July 2018
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Leah and I speak often about our trip (to London) and specifically your tour (of St James'). Thank you so much. You were knowledgeable and fun and your pacing of the tour was fantastic.
Keith, USA, June 2018
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We feel fortunate to have met you and we all benefitted from your understanding and love of history. Both tours (St James/Westminster, Hampton Court) were outstanding
Dana, Utah, June 2018
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Yesterday's tour was exactly what we wanted. You brought the Tudors to life (and much more besides!) and we did the equivalent of many hours of revision without even realising it!
Penny, M, London, family group, May 2018
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Sandy is an engaging, sincere and very knowledgeable guide. I recommend her tour. There is a reason she is so highly rated on here (i.e. Trip Advisor). She's that good.
Sydney, part of a drama group studying Shakespeare at the Globe, November 2017
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There were four members of our tour group and Sandy managed to engage with each of us personally throughout the tour (of St James', London). She addressed areas of interest for each of us. Sandy is a true hidden gem of London touring.
Regena M, Kentucky, family group, October 2017
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Enjoyable visit (to Hampton Court Palace). Sandy was a perfect tour guide. Lots of knowledge and a joy to listen to. She kept out interest for the whole two hours.
Sue J, U3A group, September 2017
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Excellent tour by Sandy - she really knows her subject. Enjoyed every minute, thank you.
Barbara Miln, September 2017
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Sandy was a wonderful guide! She was patient with our 8 and 11 year olds and highlighted details that were interesting for adults and children alike.
Sam, Canada, April 2017
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Sandy took us, a group of 15 students, on a 90 minute tour of Henry's Tudor palace and she did an amazing job! She was great at keeping the group together, engaged and summarised the history of the palace in a concise and interesting way.
Rhiannon, London, March 2017
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Sandy took a group of us on a tour of Hampton Court Palace and truly brought history to life. she really got us to visualise how things would have been when the palace was still utilised by Royalty.
Sarah W, March 2017
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How lovely to have such an interesting and personable guide as you this morning...you hit just the right note for our group. Your approach was sufficiently light without losing any historical content.
Gail P, July 2016
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We had a great time being with you at Hampton Court. You did a wonderful job of guiding us and giving real life to the people and history of the palaces.
Walt L, July 2016
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I have been walking up and down Sutton High Street this past year and had no idea how much history was all around me. Sandy was so informative and knowledgeable - most enjoyable.
Robert F, May 2016
Thank you for taking us on a very interesting and enjoyable tour of the Royal palaces at Hampton Court: your commentary turned our visit into a memorable experience.
Joan M, February 2016
Thank you for a wonderful tour, we all really enjoyed ourselves. You made a good day complete. Thank you for your patience with the children and including them so well in the day. I was concerned they may get bored as the tour was for two and a half hours but none of that thanks to the way in which you engaged with them.
Clive M, February 2016
I just wanted to say a big thank you for the tour we had yesterday at Hampton Court – it was great to see 3 generations of the family completely engaged! My little boy (aged 5) is normally very shy in front of grown-ups and wouldn’t dream of putting his hand up to answer questions so we were so proud to see him participating in the way he did.
Ian D, February 2016
Really enjoyed the Soho tour - looking back to the Swinging Sixties in London was fascinating. It was great to meet you
Jeremy B, November 2015
Thank you so much for the tour you gave us on Sunday – everyone who came was enthusing about it on the way back home.
Richard, Weybridge Catenians, June 2015
Thank you for everything on Saturday – Natasha loved her party tour and everyone that came could not give you enough praise.
Charlotte, mum of 11 year old birthday girl, April 2015
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Our group of 15, including teens and parents, hired Sandy for a tour of Hampton Court and she was excellent! We signed for a two and a half hour tour thinking that was the most our group could handle on the last day of our activity filled, week-long visit to London. She was so interesting and enjoyable, we could have stayed all day. She really made the site come alive with a great mix of serious history, lively anecdotes and humour. Even our teens who were close to exhaustion after we had run them all over London were totally engaged throughout. I recommend Sandy highly.
Pete G, March 2015
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Thank you so much for the tour of Hampton Court Palace, we all enjoyed it tremendously! Your tour brought history to life for us and was very engaging. We all agreed it was the highlight of our trip. Thank you for making our tour very memorable.
Helene , American family over for a week’s visit, December 2014