China Tour Reviews

Hi Wendy,

Thank you for organizing this fantastic trip.

All meals and restaurants were great maybe except for the one in Shanghai, the food was great but the fact that we were kept in a separate room instead of the main restaurant was somewhat concerning. Another concern we had was that our guides were not allowed to share meals with us. We believe having them at the table with us would add to the experience as they would then be able to explain the dishes etc.

All guides were great. All of them were fantastic, friendly, and knowledgeable. Excellent language and communication skills. Their explanations were great. We had a great time in part because of the care the guides provided us with. The unfortunate part is that none of the drivers spoke English. But, the vehicles and transportation arrangements were great.

All hotels were good/great. The only concern was the hotel in Guilin (Sheraton) while advertised as 5 starts hotel it was 4 stars at the most. But, it was good and certainly adequate for staying there for 2 nights.

Jerzy P. Szaflarski, MD, PhD

Greetings Anny & Lydia:

JoAnn and I are finally back in the U.S.A. and are busy trying to get back to a normal schedule of activity. During the 87 days that we were in Asia we took 2643 pictures and now must edit them and try to affix titles. This will be a big job.

Below are comments concerning the portion of our trip booked with your assistance (April 12 through April 20, 2012).

1) We traveled to Beijing prior to the River Cruise, and were met by your guide Echo and driver Mr. Wong. Echo: very nice personality, good command of English, cheerful and upbeat. Arrived at the Days Inn late afternoon, thankful to have excellent driver and Echo helped with check-in at hotel.

2) Met guide Doreena and Mr. Wong for tour of Beijing, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, etc. Doreena: energetic, good command of English, cheerful, friendly, very caring toward JoAnn, excellent describing sights. Put us on train for Xian.

3) Met Jacky and driver in Xian: fair command of English, friendly, energetic, not too talkative but gave ample description of sights, very good at getting us checked into hotel, his interest in guiding seemed to fade during afternoon portion of tour. Hotel room was a bit small, breakfast average with dining facility not kept neat between customers.

4) Met Judy and driver at Chongqing airport, she was very energetic, quite talkative, very up-beat about the city and China in general, very good command of English, a "take charge" type of person. She got us and our luggage on board the President 2 and checked in with no delay. Very Impressive performance.

5) The President 2 appeared to be well kept, neat, clean, crew/staff well dressed, pleasant, very helpful, very well organized. We upgraded our stateroom for a better view and a bit more room. Food was excellent for entire trip.

6) Met Lily at Shennong Stream, very talkative, good English, nice personality, cheerful, hard worker.

7) Met Sally and driver at Yichang, by far the best English speaker, very friendly, up-beat, most cheerful, most informative in regard to local culture and points of interest. Excellent lunch.

Train to Xian was a wonderful cultural experience - 1st time on sleeper for JoAnn, 1st time for Jim since 1961!

Air transport to Chongqing and to Shanghai was excellent.

Our rating on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent) is 8.5. Hotel and guide in Xian were average compared to rest of guides and accommodations. We certainly will recommend your service to other travelers and would book with you again on future trips to China.

Thank you for providing us with great experience at an affordable price and on short notice to boot!

JoAnn and I wish you continued success in your business and hope you both have long and prosperous lives.

Sincerely,

Jim Kitts