China Tour Reviews

Hebe Zhang/ Frieda Feng,

Our apologies for sending such a delayed testimonial!

Thank you for the care and time you took in arranging all of the details for our customized China tour this past March. Although we had traveled through China two years ago, seeing so much a second time did not take away from any of the wonder that comprises China, and we were excited to include Tibet. All four of us seasoned travelers found this China trip to be a wonderful experience and certainly up there with our favorites. We much appreciated the quick responses to any of our queries (and these were numerous!) and your willingness to create this tour so that it met all of our expectations.

The hotels (Crowne Plaza in Beijing, Hyatt Hotel in Xian, Sheraton Hotel in Guilin, Paradesa Resort in Yangshuo, Sheraton Lido Hotel in Chengdu, Sofitel Hyland Hotel in Shanghai) were excellent. The only one we had a few concerns about was the Lhasa Hotel as we had read quite a number of negative reviews before leaving home, but in reality the rooms were comfortable and the staff very accommodating. Your choices of restaurants throughout China and Tibet proved well thought out; the food was incredibly good!

As for the cities/tours/tour guides, here are detailed commentaries: we were met at the airport in every place without a problem, and all transportation met our needs well. The sites we visited were scheduled with thought and sufficient time. Although there was a switch in the places we would visit in Beijing made without our knowledge, Winnie noted our disappointment and made sure that we still were able to get to the Summer Palace, even though it was quite a fast visit; this is why we like private tours. The Peking Opera was amazing, and we loved sitting right up in front! Tenzin in Lhasa was superb... His knowledge of Tibetan culture was simply amazing. He was caring, wise and always wanted to meet our needs. Enjoying Xian was a bit frustrating as neither the guide nor driver wanted to take us to the Muslim quarter to spend any free time (this was the only place where your staff was less than accommodating). We did get to the Terra Cotta Warriors early enough to beat the crowds, which always makes for a better visit. The Tang dynasty show was a bit of a disappointment in that we sat in the very back and could not see through the people sitting at the table in front of us. The manager noticed this, and without our asking, found us another table in the back that had a better view. Please thank him for us!

We will need to schedule more time in Guilin the next time we visit China, as we found this city wonderful. The hilight was the trip down the Li River, with the beautiful, misty mountains along the banks. And Yangshuo was simply a delight! Once the majority of tourists went back to Guilin by bus in the afternoon, we enjoyed wandering around that lively town and eating dinner in one of the many sidewalk cafes. We walked to the Banyan Tree (2 hours) and loved seeing the farmers in the myriad paddies along the way. A testament to the people living there: trekking back to Yangshuo a family picked us up and drove us to the center of town, smiling and nodding at us throughout the trip.

Kevin took us around to the parks in Chengdu where we certainly experienced a local feel; several families and even a wedding group wanted us to be in their pictures. The Panda Base was notably charming. We had a fantastic dinner with Kevin and Java at a Hot Pot restaurant that second evening. The Yangtze River cruise was a relaxing journey, and our final few days in Shanghai (Jimmy was our favorite of all the tour guides) ended a spectacular three week tour!

Again, many thanks for all of your help in planning this China tour, and we would certainly recommend Chinatour360 to anyone who wants to make the most out of a trip to China and Tibet.

Regards, Fred and Shannon Lowrey