11-01 Steve C. from United Kindom

Tourist nationality: United Kindom

Tour itinerary: 11 days Beijing-Xian-Guilin-Shanghai

Tour Reviews:

Hello Eric,

Sorry I have been a little slow in providing feedback for the marvelous tour that you arranged for us for the end of September 2008.Life has been very hectic since we returned.

Firstly I would like to say how pleasant it was to meet up with you in Xi'an and be able to thank you personally for your unstinting efforts in arranging the tour to meet our requirements. Your whole approach was nice and personal and did not make us feel like numbers on a sheet, aa did some of the other companies we contacted. In fact I felt I had already gotten to know you somewhat before we met up in person. Please find detailed below our opinions of the tour based on each city we visited.

Beijing: 

We were met at the airport by Robert, who immediately put us at our ease after a long flight and immediately helped us to sort out our mobile phones so that we could contact England and also our daughter in China. Robert proved to be a very personable young man who had a great depth of knowledge of the sites that we visited during our time in Beijing. These included the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven ,the amazing Great Wall and my wife's favourite, the Summer Palace. He was always punctual and very patient and, given that we were on a fairly tight schedule, allowed as much as possible to see the sights at our own pace. Although he was always there with information, help and guidance he had the knack, important for guides ,to stay in the background when he felt it appropriate. This was a trait that all the guides had and went a long way to enhance our wonderful experience.

The Chong Wen Men hotel was in an excellent location, downtown Beijing, near to many of the sights and in a position to allow us to use our spare time productively. The hotel itself was very clean and had very good facilities.

I would also like to mention our driver who, even though he could speak no English, was extremely courteous and friendly.

The overnight train to Xi'an was a very enjoyable experience with a nice mix of nationalities on board. Although we woke quite early is, it was great to see the sunrising over the impressive countryside as we travelled onwards.

Xi'an:

Our guide, Sean, met us at the railway station on our arrival and quickly and efficiently booked us into the hotel. Whilst he had a very different personality to our previous guide, he too was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Sean had a very engaging manner and a good sense of humour and made our short stay in Xi'an even more enjoyable.

The highlight of our stay in this city had to be the visit to the Terracotta Warriors, which are incredible. We also enjoyed our bike ride round the top of the city walls. Having not riden a bike for more years than I care to remember, Sean encouraged us to "give it a go" and we were very glad that we did. 

The City hotel was in a superb location, being a couple of minutes walk from the Drum and Bell towers and the Great Mosque. Again the the hotel was clean, the facilities very good and the staff were very friendly and helpful. As was our driver for the two days we were in the city.

Our transfer from Xi'an to Guilin by car and then plane was seamless.

Guilin:

Both my wife and I felt that, on reflection, Guilin was our favourite city and a special mention must go to our exceptional guide for this visit, Luna. She proved to be a very kind,friendly and warm individual, who was not only efficient and knowledgeable, but made us feel extremely relaxed and it was as though we had known her for years. Luna would go out of her way to make sure that we had everything we wanted and that we were enjoying ourselves. Nothing was too much trouble for her or her, again, very friendly driver.

As, I am sure, with most people who visit this area the highlight proved to be the cruise along the Li river between the amazing rock formations. We both felt that it is a "must do" activity for anyone who visits China. We also very much enjoyed wandering around the city visiting such places as the Elephant Trunk park and the little mentioned Seven Stars park, which was a very pleasant surprise.

The Universal hotel was, again ,in a great location just next to Downtown Guilin, which made for a couple evenings interesting walks. The facilities and cleanliness were excellent and the breakfasts were certainly our favourites of the tour. We then moved on to Shanghai and felt a tinge of regret that we had to leave Luna, who had been a major factor in making it a memorable visit.

Shanghai:

Our contact with the guide in Shanghai, Mabel, was relatively brief, due to our requirements, but she certainly maintained the high standards exhibited by the other guides that we had met on this tour. In the limited time she had available Mabel endeavoured to make our time with her both pleasant and interesting.

The hotel provided, the Holiday Inn Express, was very impressive, if a little out of the city centre which I am sure was due to to the financial considerations we asked you to consider. The staff were extremely helpful and the room facilties were superb. In fact the hotel's location did little to hamper our enjoyment of a very busy and bustling city, as it was only a relatively short taxi ride to the centre.

The food provided during the tour was always of a high standard and at times excellent. Also we really enjoyed the evening entertainment available, in particular the Peking Opera-very different -and the Tang Dynasty show.

As you can probably gather we had an unforgettable time on the tour and I know it is something that we will look back on with feelings of pleasure for many years to come. In terms of our treatment on the tour we have no complaints whatsoever and would like to heartily thank you once again for providing us both with an utterly memorable experience.

I have already recommended your company to friends and would have no hesitation in doing so in the future, both in terms of the impeccable service received and the excellent value for money provided. If you feel that I can be of any assistance in the future in answering people's questions or being of help to your excellent company, please feel free to contact me.

Keep up the good work Eric- Cheers Steve