China Tour Reviews

Dear Lydia,

I think the best part of this tour is that we got the chance to take a rest from the usual crowds of tourists by going to the more distant, unknown, and especially beautiful place that is the Southeast of China.

We were able to admire astonishing landscapes, breathe fresh and unpolluted air, feel the warm summer rain, and learn more that we would have expected from the Miao, the Dong, and the Yao minorities people, who have an entirely different, unworried, eco-friendly way of living, and we think it is admirable that they are still able to keep their millenary traditions, costumes, and language intact even though they are part of the fastest developing county in the world.

We think this tour was very well organized, the excellent guides made it even more enjoyable, the places we visited, the things we saw, and the people we met made this trip unforgettable for me and my family.

1. The food was always great, I really enjoyed the fact that the guide in Guizhou once took us to his relative's house, who cooked an excellent meal for us. I think the food we had on the Ping An Hotel at the Terrace Fields was particularly good. We think that the last meal and Guilin was not the best, since the restaurant was very fancy but the porcinos were not big and not as good as the local, more traditional restaurants.

2. Both our guides, Jacky in Guizhou, and Sharon in Guanxi, were very good and professional. They have an excellent English level. We admire the fact that Jacky relates so well with the local Miao people, since that made the tour more enjoyable and allowed us to have a closer look at the people's culture. Sharon was always very helpful and patient with us.

3. The Hyatt in Guiyang was simply superb, beautiful hotel, excellent service and breakfast. Although the other hotels were more modest, we also enjoyed most of them, specially the ones in Longsheng at the terrace fields, and the one in Zhaoxing, which were ecological. The ones that we did not like were the ones in Kaili, because the rooms were dirty and regardless of them being non-smoking rooms, they smelled like cigarette and the carpets were stained.

I also consider that the fact that we spent another day in Yangshuo was an excellent decision, we think you should include that extra day in your tour, because one is not enough to enjoy all what that amazing town has to offer. We would also like to say that even though it was a free day, the guide Sharon was extremely gentle and accompanied us to all the activities we organized that day, for which we are very thankful.

I think the fact that Jacky is part of a minority group and still has that good level of English and education is admirable. Also, as I mentioned before, the fact that he is well acquainted with the local people gave us the chance to have a better insight into the minorities' lifestyle and traditions.

Thank you very much once again,

Best regards,

Natalia Franco