Escape Monthly Subscription Box Review – November 2014
Hmm, where to start with this review! First, before I get into some of the specific issues I have with this box:
Escape Monthly is a monthly vacation-in-a-box subscription. Each box comes with food, beauty items, and other souvenirs from a new destination.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
Now, a few things to bring up:
On November 3rd, Escape Monthly sent out an email advertising that the November box would be “the highest-value Escape ever, at $113.95 retail value!”
It turns out this promoted value was a mistake. Escape Monthly explained the mistake in comments on this post. While I totally understand that mistakes can happen, I would expect Escape Monthly to then follow up that email with another email to the exact same audience explaining the mistake and allowing for refunds if anyone wanted one.
On the post I did with November box spoilers, one reader commented:
“Last year they already did a Hawaii box and it contained a bunch of the same items. I feel like they’re trying to get rid of their extra stuff. So for those of you who are thinking about trying this: keep in mind that almost everything is at least a year old at this point.”
Rebecca from Escape Monthly responded:
“Hi Wendy! None of the products in this month’s box are from last years box, and nothing is being reused or is over a year old. Some of the top rated brands, chosen by subscribers, are being re-featured though 
“
I interpreted that comment to mean that there may be some overlap brands from the October 2013 box, but you wouldn’t get any identical products that were also in the October 2013 box. This is not the case – there are 3 identical products in this box and the October 2013 box. And two extremely similar products.
OK – now on to the actual review!
The Subscription Box: Escape Monthly
The Cost: $49.95 a month ($39.95 a month with coupon)
The Products: Each box is a destination-inspired monthly delivery of luxury products to help you relax, renew and escape.
Ships to: US only
Check out all of my Escape Monthly reviews and the complete Vacation Subscription Box List!
Each box comes with a sheet detailing the items included and a brief description of your destination that month. This month’s destination is Hawaii. (Check out the review of the October 2013 Hawaii box too).
Moon Hawaii Travel Guide Maui – Retail Value $19.99 (On Amazon for $13.50)
Noni Papaya Pineapple Shampoo – 1.25 oz – Value $2
Noni Papaya Pineapple Body Lotion – 1.25 oz Value $2
Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Cream & Night Creme Sample – Value $38?
(The info sheet lists the Noni Papaya items as each retailing for $3, but the $3 body lotion I found on their site is 2 oz, not the 1.25 oz included here).
These two Honey Girl Organics products are the exact same same Honey Girl Organics products included in the last Hawaii box. Neither have a size listed, so I’m using the value listed by Escape Monthly of $38 total – but I’m also skeptical if that’s even correct. I could be wrong, but the face and eye cream doesn’t look like 1.75 oz to me.
Seashell Lei – Value $10? (Price from Escape Monthly)
Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals Stress Release Formula Bath Crystals – Retail Value $4 (On Sale for $2.80)
In last year’s Hawaii box there was also a seashell lei, but it was listed with a retail value of $5.99.
Royal Hawaiian Orchards Kona Coffee Banana Macadamia Crunch – Value $4.15 (listed as $4.15 in last year’s box, $6 in this box)
Hawaiian Host All Natural Macadamias Glazed with Kona Coffee – Value $6
On a positive note, these are both delicious, and I was happy to see they are both gluten and dairy free!
Verdict: I’m very disappointed with Escape Monthly this month. I like to think they aren’t knowingly misleading customers, but if you send out incorrect emails and don’t follow up, or if you state there will be no repeat items and then send repeat items, it’s just as bad. Changing the values on some of the identical items is also not OK.
At this point as a subscriber I would definitely cancel. If you’re interested in seeing a review of the December Europe box though, I will continue for another month to be able to review the box:
Let me know what you think. And what you thought of this box in general!
I just wanted to add my two scents for Escape: when they had their Paris box, I signed up for the regular subscription and the mini subscription, and I also purchased their anniversary box. I got the anniversary box first, and was SOOOOOO happy! It was a really fantiastic box in my opinion. The Paris box was a little bit of a letdown, especially cause I didn’t love the lotion, and I hated the Puerto Rico box (and remember, I got the regular AND mini of both!). I cancelled, but since I liked the anniversary box so much, I decided I’d only go for their special ones. So, I bought the winter special edition, and I ended up really liking it. It came with a mustard, though, and mine was broken (thankfully it didn’t ruin anything else in the box). I emailed customer service, and they got right back to me. Instead of just sending me a replacement mustard, though, they sent me the FULL December Europe box! I was very impressed. So, I think I’ll continue to stick with them just for the special boxes.
Did you see what was in the December Europe box? Holy crap — it was terrible!! I’m SO glad I canceled my subscription.
I also got the December box as my first box. I bought a discount voucher for either $20 or $25 and I wanted the France box, but by the time I redeemed it, the France box was sold out. The customer service told me I can wait until I see the destination I am interested in (within the expiration of my voucher). So I tried this box and it was not bad. I got the angel ornament which is cute and on my tree. I am fine with the products are chosen heavily on food items. I will use them all. I thought the madeleines were priced a little high ($10). I am most excited about mulled wine spices! I spent Christmas in Germany and France and it reminded me of the holiday markets where I had the mulled wines and walked around. But based on Liz’s review in the past (thank you!), I immediately cancelled even though they offered me 30% discount. I wish this subscription offers “skip” option for the destinations you are not interested because it is too much of a risk for the price point in my opinion. Also, I didn’t get a note on next destination… anyone got it?
The January destination is Portland. Looking forward to it. Right now Living Social has a special on 1 and 3 month Escape Monthly boxes – 1 month is $29.99. Says it will not auto-renew.
Thank you for the info, Judy! I am going to think about it.
Even though the Living Social deal says it will not auto-renew, it always does. I’ve had it auto-renew three times using Living Social vouchers. I’ve had to complain and get the charge reversed every time.
Holy Moly! I just got my Dec box, so I hope a lot of you hadn’t quit yet! This one blew the past boxes out of the water!! Wow!! Loving this European Christmas box! Liz, did you get it? I’m thinking a review of this one will probably have some redemption value for them. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on them. Even the book (which I normally complain about) is one I’m actually looking forward to reading. I’m a huge Christmas lover, and I love learning about Christmas traditions around the world. I plan on busting out with a lot of these goodies at our annual Christmas Eve Eve party, especially the mulling spices. They smell divine! Looks like full size products mostly too. I’m very, very happy with this box. If I cutie change one thing, I would’ve added more non-edibles. But the book is awesome and the ornament is beautiful.
I got mine today. And it’s amazng. It was my first box. I Wondered what they were going to charge me for January and when would they charge me and since I didn’t get an email response in 2 days, I got nervous / irritated and sent additional emails requesting cancellation. This request they honored. I do love my box, now that I’ve recieved and I will consider rejoining. Also, it said u get a lace snowflake ornament which I was looking forward to but mine was of a Christmas tree – still nice, but I love snowflakes and the info card said snowflake ornament. Beautiful box, the book actually does look interesting and I’m going to Europe next month so I will give it a read. The spices for mulled cider smell amazing. The Christmas in Paris tea box is really nice and I want to keep it but I’m thinking of adding it to my sisters Xmas gifts. Ok no, that’s not happening. But I do think I’ll re-sub at some point and if the boxes continue to be like this then it would be good to continue to review them here Liz.
I got a beautiful angel ornament. I wonder if they mean by “snowflake” they are talking about the style of lace that the ornaments are made of??
I am getting the deluxe box for December and I am looking forward to it. I am a huge fan of rick Steve’s so really looking forward to it
Oh no that’s too bad. I was going to subscribe to this box on the 1st. I’m so glad to be finding all of this out before I bought something I wouldnt have liked at all.
(Since my name, Nicole, is so common I will be using the new name in my blog posts so I’m not confused with another. I’ll now be, Demure).
A few have mentioned that they have been happy with their individual experiences with customer service but I disagree. I was esp pretty unhappy after my experience with the Paris box. I got two shower washes instead of a scrub and a wash as stated in the brochure. I emailed immediately and was told there wasn’t supposed to be any scrub in the box. Then I see other online reviews showing a scrub and a body wash. Annoyed, I emailed again and got an apology this time, that that was her misunderstanding, and was told the Nuxe scrub would be sent. I waited a week or so, and nothing arrived, so I emailed again and was told they are now out of the scrub, but they got another scrub in and could send that. I stupidly said okay without asking what it was. I was super annoyed when I received the same scrub that I’d already gotten in the Las Vegas box.
The oils in the London box leaked a ton in their bags, and I just tossed them. I couldn’t be bothered to ask for a replacement.
And now that I think about it, that calming mist from the Vegas box leaked all over the travel guide. I emailed and was told replacements would be sent. I waited two weeks, got nothing, and again had to email to ask where it was. After the 2nd email I got the replacements plus another deck of cards, even though I hadn’t complained about that, but still, I find it annoying that I always have to email a few times about replacements…
My first box was the Paris box, loved it! The Anniversary box was great too! Puerto Rico box sucked, the the London one was okay. Then we get this one. Can’t decide which was worst, the PR one or this.
I love the idea of this box! It really has so much potential. The guide books as part of the value of the box have always been a turn off for me though. I’d rather have a voucher discount code if we wanted to buy a guidebook. I’ve written them with that advice as well. It would be so much more fun to get a music cd, book, or movie that takes place in the featured locale.
This last box just didn’t have much in it. I don’t think we’d complain about the free lei had their been a bag of Kona coffee in there! I can’t believe there wasn’t any?!
As far as customer service, Rebecca has been super nice and helpful to me, each and every time. I had an item missing in last month’s box so they sent me double of it and about half the London box! So I think they went above and beyond to fix the problem.
I’m still hanging in there, for as long as my LS and Rue La La deals I bought continue. And I ordered their Christmas bonus box (yeah, no book!!). So I hope they are listening to their feedback and suggestions given. It could be an awesome box. Please let it be awesome! Come on Escape Monthly!! You can do this!!
I agree about the coffee. Where was the coffee?
I love the idea of an artistic/cultural item like a movie or novel rather than a travel book!
Thanks, everyone! I’ve been hesitant to, and did not want to, but you’ve convinced me to cancel! Now, to find out how…
For you and anyone else thinking of cancelling, you have to email customer service to cancel, but please note–it’s still not cancelled! You will get a reply asking if you are sure since the next box is going to be awesome fantastic and will change your life. You then have to respond saying you indeed want to cancel.
They bill quite early for the next month so you might want to check if you’ve been billed for the Dec. box yet or not. If so you might need to say too that you would like a refund for the Dec. box or she might assume you are cancelling the Jan. box.
I’ve just run into the same problem today. I sent Escape Monthly an email a few days ago requesting that my account be cancelled. The next day I got the email encouraging me to stick around. I thought nothing of it, because I’ve gotten similar ones from companies before after submitting requests to cancel my subscription, and those companies have always cancelled the subscription. I didn’t have to write again to ask for a cancellation as I did this morning after discovering they charged my credit card for next month’s box.
I cancelled over the summer. I had thought long and hard about getting this box. (I love to travel but due to monetary constraints I haven’t been able to for a while and thought this would be great) I watched many videos and read many blogs before subscribing. I especially loved the actual items or souviniers they’d send from the locations. Then when I actually subscribed it began turning into just another beauty box. The souviniers from the locations were cheap and tacky. I’d have rather had a $10+ item that only came from that destination than a $40 lotion that I could get in any high end store or boutique here.
I don’t wear make up or have a beauty regimen so this over priced beauty box wasn’t for me. 🙁
And I think I made the right decision seeing as with all the places to visit in the world they are already repeating after only a year or so.
First, I am not the Rebecca from Escape.
I do not subscribe to this box but I just want to use this as an opportunity to wonder what is happening with some of these subscription boxes. I just received my latest Fancy Box, my subscription is the original box, not one of the celebrity curated ones.
Every single item this month I have received from past Fancy Boxes. These items appear to be leftovers from past boxes. And, these are not the coveted items, but the undesirables and fillers.
I regard this as very disrespectful of Fancy to a loyal and long time customer, I am extremely unhappy. I subscribed to be surprised with cool and NEW items each month.
I lived in Hawaii for three years. Besides the macadamia nut chocolate candies, I never saw or used the other (bath and body) products…
This box just made me angry. I got the $25 deal, and I don’t even feel it was worth that. The snacks were good, but I feel like they just threw in some hotel toiletries and a 99 cent necklace and called it a day. I thought we were getting a full size moisturizer, but this was like a deluxe size sample. Blah.
I’ve been so let down by sub boxes lately! What is going on? I am sticking to MSA and Birchbox from now on. lol 🙂
Even if you forget thetha value, forget the problems and just look at the products I still hate this box. I hated the flavor of both the snacks and just threw them out. I didn’t like the honey face products either. They seemed too sticky to me. I haven’t tried the shampoo yet but I feel like the conditioner is missing. I also haven’t tried the bath crystals yet but overall this was not a wow box at all. I am really disappointed. If I was in Hawaii I would not have purchased any of these things.
I cancelled after the London box. It used to be a great box. Not so much anymore.
I forgot to add:
The Honey Girl showed up in the Best of Box. There is no way that is 1.7 ounces. I spent a few minutes researching on the internet and think it is part of their gift set which means it is probably around .5 ounces. I see that Jennifer V weighed the cream already and it doesn’t match what Escape Monthly is stating.
The label does not match the label on the website. I clicked on the link and went through some of the product line. The ounces are always listed on the left and the name is on the right. The regular size is clearly labeled 1.7 ounces.
Escape Monthly was one of my first subs. My family and I enjoyed opening the boxes and using the products. I always received excellent customer service from Rebecca.
I did cancel the sub back a few months ago. The last few boxes don’t compare to the boxes in the past. I don’t know what happened, but it has changed. I do hope they bounced back because we did enjoy the sub a lot.
Liz – It is your blog and you are dissatisfied. Don’t do anymore reviews.
I imagine the reason she is reviewing December is to give the company a chance to redeem themselves. If they do ‘bounce back’ as you mentioned, the readers will be able to see that via her December review.
This box really made me mad. It is not near the value of what I paid and it is just a bunch of free samples and hotel sized shampoo and lotion. I would have cancelled and still may do so, but I am interested in the Europe box, but then again I am afraid. I really liked the Paris box, but the Puerto Rico box was horrible. I agree that people should just skip this subscription. It is getting worse and worse and there is no consistency.
I subbed to the regular and mini boxes for Paris, and then ended up getting Puerto Rico for both since I forgot to cancel… I was less than enthused about Paris, and just was “eh” about the PR box, so I’m glad I ended my sub. BUT, their anniversary box was my favorite box ever (!!) (Although, the Hawaii eye cream was in that, too), so I decided to get the Christmas box they advertised. Hopefully I’ll enjoy it just as much. But even if there are repeat items, I’m at least expecting them to be the most-liked products, so it won’t be that bad.
Liz i cancelled. I was very disappointed in this box for many of the same reasons as those listed here. I actually had gone down to the mini sub box as the past few months weren’t worth the 39.99 price tag, however the mini contained all of the same stuff as the full size excluding the honey girl from last years box and the macadamia nut cluster things. I called them immediately because the value just was not there even at the re-projected 85 dollars- i was sent the full size box – which did not make me happy and offer 50% off of the December box. I declined . My reasons were because 1. escape advised me that the box value was over 90 dollars- so i expected more that what was received and 2. the justification was that several(people) requested that these be put in the box again. Serious?
Oh and i went to honey girls website they have the 1.75 oz listed at 33.00 however it is obviously much bigger than the travel size we received- the travel size is featured in a travel package for 26.00. So sorry for long post but i thought i would advise i checked out the pricing on some of this and either way box was not the amount promised either time and well we were definitely misled.
I am really glad that I didn’t subscribe to this box for the getaway to Hawaii. The pineapple soap sounds great, as does the bath salts, but from the way this company has misled its customers about the value of products and the host of other problems that seem to be ongoing, I think I will look around for a subscription that provides bath and body products with a reputation for customer service. Any suggestions? And as to the question of whether to subscribe for another month, I agree with the other respondents here. Even negative publicity is publicity so it’s just better to spend your money on a box you actually enjoy and which has honest and trustworthy business practices.
While the boxes lately have been a disappointment the correspondence has been great. I have had a few problems and every time I email I get a response from Rebecca quickly. It is always professional and every problem has been taken care of quickly. I’m sorry to hear that others have had problems. I have not had any problems and I commend Rebecca in customer service for the great way she has handled my problems.
Just wait till you try to cancel! You’ll most likely feel differently. 🙂
I saw the request for ideas for bath and body subs. I read good reviews on the Goodbox which offers Level Naturals and has 3 different subscription levels. I don’t know anything about its customer service.
I love my Gourmet Body Treat sub which is one of my favorites. Also SudsyBox is a great soap subscription. The owner sent out a survey asking what additional offerings would interest us. Both owners have been responsive to my emails.
Maybe Haley will have suggestions because she reviews those type of boxes.
This question reminded me of Sirref Box which I never tried. What happened to that sub? It seem to disappear.
Thanks for the sub box recommendations, PA Anna. I’m also thinking of trying Fortune Cookie Soap, though I’m not sure if they use natural ingredients, though this is not necessarily a dealbreaker for me. I would love to subscribe to a box like Escape Monthly but haven’t found one that delivers quality products with stellar curation on a consistent basis. For now, I’m going to find a bath and body sub, and give Universal Yums a try. Maybe we could all band together and start our own vacation in a box? after following this blog for some time, I’m sure we all have come to learn what works and what doesn’t. Then again, the execution doesn’t always go as planned. I don’t think the people behind these subscription boxes intentionally set themselves up for failure. However, (and this is just my educated guess), they didn’t bring in as much revenue as they anticipated, tried to get more traffic through deal sites like LivingSocial, found out that they actually lost money by providing those deals, and it just went in a downward spiral from there. I’m certainly not defending them by any means, but I have now concluded that I probably won’t be jumping on the subscription box business bandwagon anytime soon. Either that, or I won’t offer many sales and deals, unless I was financially healthy enough to support those minor losses.
Liz, you’re so kind but I’m on team cancel.
Agreed, Liz! Please don’t waste your money on yet another horrible box! Let’s not show Escape Monthly that this is OK for them to do to their customers!
I want to LOVE this box but was super disappointed this month. I’m going to give it one more month……
Wow, as someone who is from Hawaii and has family (my Mom, siblings…) still living in Hawaii – the value on that shell lei is an insult. As stated above, those get handed out for free at stores, churches, etc. lol.
Yikes, lying to customers and trying to cover up their mistakes instead of just being forthright is never a good sign. I won’t be surprised when this box goes out of business in the next few months.
There are so many things wrong with this box and this company. I would say best not to continue with next month and promote a company you don’t believe in.
For those looking for a true Hawaiian subscription box, check out Makana Box. They send true “created in Hawaii” products and none of this tourist trap crap. 🙂
Thanks for the tip, will check it out!
I had tried to cancel after London but stayed with them because I was told Hawaii had a gift set worth $50 just by itself..which we know is not even close. I also tried to use a code that specifically showed it RENEWED at $24.95. I was told I could not get that price..even after I sent a screen shot proving it. The false advertising and lies are terrible. I would not recommend this company to anyone. I tried to file with the BBB but they are not even registered with them!!
Funny, no comments from our friend Rebecca from Escape Monthly. The comments last month were borderline insulting not to mention outright lies. And now there are none. Goodbye escape monthly.
But have you looked on Escape Monthly’s facebook? There are no negative comments about the box and people were buying luxe boxes. I find it so odd that more people aren’t disappointed with this box on Facebook.
There are several negative reviews on their Facebook page (including mine), you just have to scroll back on the “Posts to Page” to see them (look around Nov. 20 and 21).
Actually, they delete negative comments. And they delete questions that aren’t even negative, but just tough to answer. I posted various times throughout the past year, and all the questions about inflated value and any comment expressing disappointment was deleted within a few hours of posting.
I wondered about that. Sometimes when I am bored at work, I go to sub box Facebook pages and poke around. I saw how disappointed people were with this one so I was hoping to read some good negative comments (I guess I enjoy rubbernecking, so to speak), but there weren’t any. Which seemed highly suspicious.
I have to agree with Liz’s review. As someone who has gotten every box since the second one her review is spot on. I hope it gets better since I currently have 2 months from a living social left for Escape Monthly.
I agree that you should cancel and just stop advertising for them. No need to spend your money on something that will most likely be another disappointment. Very nice of you to offer to continue this sub for the sake of your readers, though!
At this point, somebody would have to PAY me a lot of money to ever subscribe to this again. Between the crappy items, Rebecca’s inappropriate responses to subscribers’ concerns on this site, and terrible customer service, it’s a HUGE “no thank you.”
Don’t stay subscribed just for us. Is there a really great travel subscription box out there that isn’t just snacks? I would love to get one for my parents for Christmas, but none of them seem too high of quality or interesting for the price.
I was just thinking that there are no good travel boxes now… TravelBox shut down after only a few months, and I’ve learned today what is coming in the Nov. quarterly.co box from Hitha on the Go, and it’s super disappointing. I’ve not been impressed with Hammock Pack so I’ve never been tempted to get that one.
(Sorry, off topic: gcc, where did you see the contents of the Hitha on the Go Nov. quaterly.co box? Thanks!)
MUT (makeuptalk.com) has a quarterly thread. A few people got their boxes yesterday.
At this point, someone would have to PAY me a lot of money to ever subscribe to this one again… Customer Service sucks & the items are crappy. No thank you.
jennifer said she weighed it and the value was $7.
Yep! I weighed it and it was .4oz. All totaled it weighed 2.1oz and then I scooped out every single drop of the creme and weighed the empty container. It weighed 1.7oz. Meaning the cream itself was 0.4oz. Not the 1.75oz they said on the card.
Thanks for letting us know – what a mess this box is in every way! 🙁
I signed up for the London box with a 50% off code. I actually really liked that box. They included that full sized lotion even though I didn’t use the code for that. I canceled after that box with no issues. I noticed that the prices they included didn’t match. The price of the travel guide was printed on the book, and they had it valued at like $7 more. It seems like they’re pawning off souvenirs as having a value of 70-90% higher than the actual value. I definitely wouldn’t continue this subscription.
Uh oh, I should have read these reviews before signing up! I love Hawaii so I decided to sign up for this box. I then got an email saying I could upgrade to a limited LUXE box that would have more items for $30 more. I decided to try it but have not received it yet, it’s supposed to ship this week. After reading these comments, I’m feeling a little nervous!
I feel like I’m watching another sub box spiral down the drain. I have never really been tempted by this box in the past but I hate to see shady business practices result in a failed company. Liz, I appreciate your candor- I am so sick of how almost every blogger just seems to blindly tout and shill just to get more free stuff. I wonder if they realize that they are rendering their “opinions” useless to their readers. But that’s a whole other can of worms… Happy Thanksgiving!
Ditto! Thank you so much, Liz, for your honest and insightful reviews! 🙂
I agree, I like honest reviews
Escape Monthly has good one-on-one customer service, but has consistent issues with commuting mass problems like the change in value of this box and repeatedly delayed shipping. The curation of this box just isn’t there for $40.
I agree, I just cancelled after 2 months which everyone is saying are the 2 worst months to have started with escape monthly. I prefer Hammock Pack over Escape. They actually get there products from the cities they feature, not from CHINA! and even though they raised there price to $32 it is still cheaper then Escape and have better products. Just my opinion!
Those necklaces are handed out for free at Hilo Hattie stores…so basically, worth nothing.
Thanks for mentioning that, Karen! As soon as I saw the picture of the shell lei I literally laughed out loud– I already own several that I received for free from Hilo Hattie. Glad I didn’t buy this box!
Out of the container the Creme weighed .4 oz, so a value of 7.54, and the night creme’s actual value was under a dollar. All together, the actual box value is less than half of their lower advertised estimate.
Please stop subscribing to this box. They are dishonest, deceptive, include expired and old products, purchase made-in-China, low-quality instead of local products, I could go on and on. I think there is enough information available from old reviews for people to realize that they are not living up to their promises, and every time you review a box you are advertising it, even if it is not a positive review.
Thanks for the input Rachel. I didn’t think of it that way before – but now that you bring it up I totally understand. I’m going to cancel my subscription.
Yay! For cancelling! We support and applaud your decision.
Go Liz! I gave into temptation and bought this box when I received the 50% off email, and I SO regret it. I felt so ashamed when I opened up this box that I haven’t bought anything online since then… The response I received from customer service (aka Rebecca) simply defended the value of the box and offered me an extra 10% off of the December box. No. If I walked into a store and spent $80 on this stuff, I would feel robbed… and I feel robbed having paid $25. What of the people who paid full price for this box? Or even $40? I could fill a bag with more value just collecting free pens from events at school. I will never subscribe to this box again.
I ordered this box since my 6 year old daughter and I LOVE Hawaii and I have been wanting to try Escape Monthly. (I really love the idea but not the execution so much.) Anyway, having read reviews of Escape Monthly’s downhill slide for the past few months and realizing that I was setting myself up for possible disappointment, I decided to order this box as my first one when they had the $25ish offer on this box.
Considering the above, we were fine with this box however we won’t be continuing on. My 6 year old daughter really enjoyed the bath salts and my 3 year old daughter liked the shell lei. I haven’t had the chance to peruse the book yet but could be interesting.
Also, did you notice the info card mentioned body wash and they sent shampoo? And, the info card mentioned “papaya-lime crunch” and they sent “kona coffee banana macadamia crunch”. Interesting… Haven’t tried either of the snacks yet so we will see.
Regarding your offer to continue on for the December Europe box, my vote is that it is not necessary. It is a generous offer but you don’t need to sacrifice yourself for the team especially since you said “[a]t this point as a subscriber I would definitely cancel.”
I cancelled Escape Monthly once before but restarted for London (where I will be visiting next Mar.), and continued for Hawaii (where I will be visiting next Aug.). I was not thrilled last month, but this month completely put me off and I have cancelled again for good. I don’t need a Maui guidebook (I always go to Kauai and from their Facebook hints I thought perhaps it would be a Kauai guidebook, oh well), I don’t need sample sizes of shampoo or face cream, I can buy the snacks in a local A-B-C Store, and the lei is given away for free at many places in Hawaii. Complete waste of money for me (except my husband liked the snacks; I can’t eat them because of allergies; the other items can be stocking stuffers). Fun idea, but not worth the continuing disappointment and cost.
I signed up only for three months that was a deal through I think Living Social and thank god. I don’t think this is worth the price. Last month my two oils were open and all over everything and this month my shell necklace came broken, all shells in the box. Had there not been the pamphlet of what they give I just would have thought it was decoration.
Don’t waste your money! I would rather see your money go towards a review of a sub I would actually be interested in purchasing!
I didn’t get this box and I AM SO GLAD! I don’t think that their boxes are as good as they used to be, every month I have something missing, leaking or broken, and they are shipping later and later.
I LOVE Xmas in Europe (yea Christmas markets!!!!) but I am not feeling confident of the contents or that it’ll arrive at my house before leaving to visit family for the holidays.
I get the mini escape monthly since it’s more affordable and it was just as hugely disappointing. I got the bath salts, lei necklace, mini shampoo and conditioner, Hawaiian Host glazed macadamias and a pineapple loofah soap. I detest the smell of pineapple so this box was pretty much a giant loss for me. The smell of the soap was overwhelming, the shampoo and conditioner look like free samples from hotels, the necklace looked crappy and the bath salts. It all just looked like junk to me, but that’s a personal opinion. I basically swapped the whole box and canceled. I’m curious to see what their idea of a luxurious Christmas is after this box and London’s box. It all just looks so cheap. I was really expecting there to be coffee in the box or coconut something but not at all. I love the idea of Escape Monthly, but I was expecting more like locally handmade goods you can’t get unless you go there.
This box is pretty lackluster.
I don’t think you should hold on to this subscription for us!
I crossed Escape Monthly off my “want” list after the last 2 boxes and this is definitely a nail in the coffin.
I do not like that the company didn’t send out an email re their mistake to everyone who got the first email. (This is sort of like how Sample Society posted on Facebook, but didn’t notify everyone….and not everyone uses Facebook or reads your blog.)
It seems like they are having issues. I wonder if they will be around for much longer.
A European Christmas sounds fantastic; however by the looks of things it will be a royal disappointment. Three months in a row of sub par boxes for the price point does not bode well for future boxes!
I did not get the Night Creme in my box! The little bag it was supposed to come in (the clear one with turtles) was ripped on the bottom and only the Face & Eye Cream was in my box. I emailed Escape Monthly on Friday and haven’t heard back yet. :/
Did you message them on Facebook? They’re pretty quick to respond there. Last month I got a replacement for the oil that leaked out in my box.