Mr. Paul Harrington's China Tour Review
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| Our clients at Badaling Great Wall, Beijing |
Andee,
Thank you so much for the wonderful tour organized by you and ChinaTourOnline.com.
I was in Beijing as a journalist working on the Canadian television coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games. After the games ended, my wife joined me for a two- week holiday in china.
Friends advised us to use the services of CHINATOURONLINE (CTO.) we are very happy with our choice. CTO was very efficient in meeting our needs and answering our questions when planning our trip. We were always kept informed about booking and given many options. When we made changes in our plans, CTO was quick to respond and made new bookings for us. During our china tour, there were always CTO guides and drivers to pick us up and take us to our hotels. They were always on time for our sightseeing tours, and when we needed to be dropped off at an airport. We took five airline flights within china, and at every destination the CTO guide and driver were there when we arrived. The guides themselves were very informative, friendly and polite. They answered all our questions thoroughly and in clear English. They all had a sense of humor and made sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves at all times. My wife and I will certainly recommend the services of CHINATOURONLINE to any of our family or friends who may be planning to visit china.
My wife Marian Noonan and I had a marvelous two weeks in Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, on the Yangtze River, in Yichang and Shanghai. Everything went smoothly with no problems, except for the delay boarding the cruise ship in Chongqing. I have also attached photos of my wife and I aboard the cruise ship century diamond in Wu gorge, my wife with our guide Xin looking at hand-crafted dolls in the Shanghai arts and crafts centre, guide Eddie Lau and me in the Xian airport, and my wife and I at the Great Wall in Badaling. Feel free to use any of the photos and any of my comments.
All of the vehicles were clean and comfortable. We had no problems and have no complaints. All of the drivers were courteous, friendly and well behaved.
All of the tour guides were good. I would like to make special mention of two: Eddie Lau in Xian and Mrs. Xin in Shanghai. Eddie Lau spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable. His tour of the Terra Cotta Warriors facility was very good. He was very friendly, had a good sense of humour and could answer all of our many questions. Mrs. Xin also spoke excellent English. She was clearly an experienced guide who not only gave us very useful information, but also provided good advice on where to shop, what we should be cautious about and where we might like to spend our free time. She made us feel very comfortable and her tours were very relaxing and interesting. The other guides (Tina in Chongqing, Wei in Yichang and Li Na in Beijing) were also very satisfactory and polite.
All of the restaurants were clean and the food was very good. Especially the restaurant in Shanghai was excellent. I think it was called 1932 on the bund. The service at all the restaurants was very good.
All of the hotels were very good, while the Hyatt on the bund was very modern and provided excellent amenities, my wife and I most enjoyed the bamboo garden hotel in Beijing. It was like a jewel among the Hutongs, was very well furnished, and charming. The staffs were friendly and very helpful.
I would like to praise you, Andee, for your excellent work in planning our trip to china. You always responded quickly and thoroughly to our e-mails. You were quick to adjust our schedule when we asked for changes. You kept us constantly informed of our itinerary and any adjustments in price or schedule. We appreciate all you did for us and would like these comments to be given to your supervisors at CTO.
Thank you again for your great work in organizing our tour and for keeping us well-informed before and during our trip.
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Paul Harrington
Nationality: Canada
Itinerary: 12 Days China tour of Beijing- Xian- Chongqing- Yangtze River Cruise-Yichang-Shanghai-Beijing
Updated: Sunday,Jul 05,2009
Mr. Glendale Christopher Leon and Miss. Tania Twen's China Tour Review
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| Our clients at Badaling Great Wall, Beijing |
Hello Ivy,
The vehicles were in good condition and air-conditioning was working. The road trips were comfortable and we were able to catch up on some sleep in the car. There were no problems that happened during the whole trip.
The drivers were well behaved and courteous. They were professional and safe. Driving looked quite scary in China but we felt we were in good hands.
All of our tour guides were very polite and made a conscious effort to make themselves understood. Some were more proficient at conversational English than others, but we had no problems communicating.
Thank you for the free water. We appreciate the service.
From what I can remember from all the restaurants we visited, they were all clean and service was good. There was none that stuck out as being substandard. The selection of dishes that our guides chose for us were quite delicious and the waiting staff were quick and courteous. The food was tasty, but at times I found some dishes quite greasy, which I'm not used to eating in large quantities. The steamed rice and tea helped soak up the grease. There were a few occasions where perhaps we could have eaten more than a small bowl of rice along with some of the greasier dishes. But mostly the quantity of food that was offered to us was between adequate and abundant. We were never left hungry after our meals.
The hotels were clean and tidy and cozy. Just a couple of incidents would have made our trip better: 1) Guilin hotel- We were put in a room with an almost see through wall between the bedroom and the shower. It would be fine if there was something to hide the view if we didn't feel like showering nude in full view of our bedroom partner, but there was no choice and so for three days we felt like we had to shower cautiously. To be frank, this room seemed tasteless, although the rest of the hotel was fine and location was superb. 2) Guangzhou hotel- We were checked in a room with a double bed (even though we requested twin beds prior to this). There were no problems before with check in. However in this hotel, we walked into a room that had 1 double bed and I immediately called reception to ask for a room transfer. They said they would look into it right away. We sat on the hotel room floor waiting for a response. After half an hour, no work and so I called down again, and I spoke to them and they responded as they did not get my first request and we were kept waiting longer. After 3 phone correspondences over a period of an hour and sleeping on the floor, the bellboy finally came up to take us to our new room. I thought that was unacceptable. That was probably the worst hotel. It had 24 floors and took so long to get an elevator. And to have breakfast, we had to go outside to another hotel and wait long for a lift to take us up to the top floor.
We had a fantastic time in China! CTO put together a great itinerary for us which allowed us to see the must-see sights accompanied with professional tour guides. But we also enjoyed our down time to explore the country on our own. We always felt safe and have great stories of our adventures trekking around. The sleeper train between Beijing and Xian was fabulous. It was one of my most comfortable long haul journeys. Transferring from city to city by train, plain, boat, automobile was exciting and efficient. We have so many highlights in our trip. Examples are: great views of the great wall of china, coming up close to the cute pandas, mesmerized by the numbers and intricacies of the terra cotta soldiers in Xian, gazing up in the high ceilings and vastness of the Reed Flute Cave, the picturesque views from our Li River cruise, a memorable bike ride in Yangshuo.
We would like to praise our tour guide in Beijing, Nancy Li. She was very friendly and went out of her way to make sure we were taken care of. We weren't quite prepared for the cold weather in Beijing and so she lent us some winter jackets and scarves and hats for the duration of our stay there. She recommended some fantastic places to eat and hang out in our down time. She dined with us in a couple of restaurants and made sure we were well fed. Her company was fantastic and she made Beijing one of our highlights of the trip. And also I do appreciate how she and the driver came to meet me at Beijing airport 3 hours prior to Tania's landing which was a last minute change of plans. Thank you for accommodating me :)
We will definitely sell Chinatouronline to our family and friends.
We appreciated everything they did for us. The sightseeing, restaurants, driver and local guide are very good, the hotel we stayed is good. Nancy was well spoken and knowledgeable and even lent us warm clothes to wear. We are truly pleased with the quality of the tour. Thank you very much!
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Glendale Christopher Leon and Miss. Tania Twen
Nationality: Canada
Itinerary: 11 Days Classic China Impressive Tour (Budget)
Email: geedale@gmail.com
Updated: Thursday,Mar 26,2009
