Mr. Mark and Janis Sims's China Tour Review
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| Our clients at Terra-Cotta Army, Xian |
Dear Lydia and Andee,
We are back in the United States now but I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip to Xian. I really appreciate how you were able to schedule the trip on such short notice. My only regret is that we did not have more time to spend in mainland China, but we may make another trip in about a year to do just that. We were able to do quite a lot in just two days in Xian. Our guide (Amy) and our driver (Mr. Chang) were both excellent. They took care of everything. We just had to enjoy ourselves! The terra cotta warriors were amazing and Amy was very knowlegeable about the history and details of the site. We were impressed with the city wall as we did not realize it was so big! We worked up quite a thirst riding bikes around the wall and were very appreciative of the bottled water that was available. All the meals were excellent, especially the dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show. Our hotel was very nice and we had no problems checking in or out. Everyone was very kind and always smiling. Amy and Mr. Chang really made an extra effort to make sure we were comfortable. When my wife had a stomach ache, they made an immediate stop at a local pharmacy to get some medicine that fixed the problem. Overall it was an excellent trip that we will always remember!
Thanks again !
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Mark and Janis Sims
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 2 Days Xian Exploring Tour (Luxury)
Updated: Sunday,May 31,2009
Mr. Benjamin Gomez's China Tour Review
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| Our clients at Sacred Way, Beijing |
Dear CTO,
Our tour of China was exceptional. The Hotels were very accomidating and the guides were excellent. Getting around was easy as we had our own personal guide and driver. All four cities (Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Hong Kong) we visited in China were amazing. The culture is wonderful and the customs amazing. At first we were skeptical of booking a tour online, but after reviewing CTO's affiliations and recognized service we decided to book the trip. CTO customized the trip to our needs and went beyond our expectations. I highly recommend CTO to anyone else looking for tour to China for the best price you can find online. Thanks CTO, I look forward to doing future tours with you!
I would like to give a special thanks to our guide in Xi'an, Emma. She gave us enough time to visit all the locations mentioned on the itinerary and she recommended and took us to this restaurant that specialized in dumplings and included a beautiful show. The whole experience there was well worth going to. She also took us to local places to view and buy suvenirs and hygiene things we needed that we ran out of during our tour. Very wonderful person overall.
Also a special thanks to our guide Allan in Shanghai. He let us chose which location on the itinerary for the day we wanted to go to first and also customized the itinerary to include locations we wished to see like the Shanghai World Financial Center. He also recommended and met us at the Shanghai Circus where we saw this amazing acrobatics show. Even though we weren't allowed to film on video the show itslef was well with it. He also took us to local vendors that offered suvenir we were particulary looking for. Very friendly personal overall.
All vehicles provided were clean and carried air-conditioning in all the cities. All drivers were very skilled and got us safely where we needed to get. Drivers smiled and opened the doors for us all the time, that was excellent. And when drivers did smoke, it was outside of the car while they were waiting for us to come back from our activities. Tour guides were great. Their english was clear and they made sure not to offend us in any way. It was great to be able to communitcate with them what ever needs we had. All the information they provided was proficient and clear. The bottle water service was excellent. It was much needed for the amount of out door activites we did, especially after long walks or climbs.
The hotel in Beijing was fine and the fact that this hotel had internet in the rooms was great and also that they could exchange money at the front desk. The hotel in Xi'an was also nice except the breakfast menu at the buffet was not that good. But the location of it was perfect. There was much to see all around it. The hotel in Shanghai was beautiful. It had complimentary water bottles in the room each day and the front desk had fast service. The was one of the best kept hotels throughout our tour. If I were to return to Shanghai I would definitely stay at this hotel again.
The hotel in Hong Kong was very classy. The staff was very professional and the people at the front desk were very helpful in terms of showing us what tourist sites there was on free maps they provided. The rooms were also well kept and the lounge they have downstairs was excellent. This hotel had one of the best buffets throughout our tour.
Most of the restaurants were clean and provided good service and great food. Only draw back is that they only offer one free glass of soft drink. If they were to offer two glasses per person it would be much appreciated. The best restaurant we went to was one recommended by our tour guide Emma in Xi'an. I do not recall the name but it had an Opera show and lots of dumplings served as the main course. This was the best restaurant throughout the whole tour.
At the beginning of the trip we thought that the beds in the Beijing hotel were hard but as we kept moving on to the next hotel we figured out that it was all the hotels that had dard beds. It took a little getting used to but it was nothing that we could not handle. Again, the best hotels in our opinion were the one in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Please see the pictures of the great experiences and taste we encountered on our wonderful tour and thank you once again for a very memorable tour!
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Benjamin Gomez
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 10 Days China Highlights with Hongkong (Budget)
Updated: Monday,May 25,2009
Miss. Nelia Soares Doenges's China Tour Review
Dear Chinatouronline,
The vehicles are clean and tidy with air-conditioners during the whole trip, and they were great and no problems during the whole tour.
The drivers were excellent and the guides went above and beyond to take care of us to ensure that everything is going smoothly. I have had many tour guides before and I must say they were the best and they spoke great English.
The restaurants and hotels in our trip are no problems and I have to say that they are all great and I had a great time at all hotels.
The persons I would like to praise are Jason and Mr Chan, (our driver in beijing), their service were outstanding. Our tour guide in Xian was also wonderful. Very patient and knowledgeable and with great personalities.
Customer's information:
Name: Miss. Nelia Soares Doenges
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 7 Days Ancient Capital Tour of Beijing-Xian (Luxury)
Updated: Tuesday,May 19,2009
Mr. Roger Pang's China Tour Review
Dear Chinatouronline,
Vehicles were very good. Glad we had the small tour vs. the big bus tour. Drivers were great. Sure, they were aggressive and pulled of moves that I would never try myself, but I understood the circumstances. That's how everyone drives in China.
Tour guides were excellent. Very informative, but not so much that it seemed like class. The first tour guide in Beijing (Jason) spoke excellent English. He did seem to rush the tour a little, but it was understandable with the long schedule.
The restaurants in Beijing were good. In Xian, the first lunch seemed like Americanized Chinese food. The restaurant selected for that meal served many steamed bun meals. I would suggest ordering those in the future for the tourists. Probably less expensive and way better than the dishes we had. The dumpling banquet is also nice, but the dumplings themselves were a little disappointing. I know they are trying to provide variety, but a ketchup dumpling seemed a bit excessive. The restaurants in Shanghai were good. The restaurants were clean. I would say Beijing and Shanghai offered the best meals.
And all the hotels were excellent.
BTW, I think most people can do without the Peking Opera. The Acrobatic show and the Tang Dynasty show were good.
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Roger Pang
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 9 Days Tour of China Must See Cities (Luxury)
Updated: Thursday,Apr 09,2009
Mrs. Gordon & Mr. Kamradt's China Tour Review
Hello Ivy and Tracy,
The cars were basically clean. Not sure if there was air conditioning on the Beijing car, but we didn't need it there. No problems at any point in the trip.
Nothing negative at all. The drivers were polite and courteous, and didn't smoke in the car. We were very happy with the drivers.
All 3 of our tour guides were wonderful -- helpful, friendly, polite, and spoke clearly. No communication difficulties.
We didn't see water bottles in Beijing. But we certainly drank MORE than two bottles per day in Shanghai and Xian. In those cities, there was no indication that we should only get two bottles -- they were very generous with the water.
Once we explained to our guide what kind of food we wanted, they made great efforts to make sure we got great meals. The hotels were all fine. The only problem with the Prime Hotel in Beijing was that the exercise room was inadequate. Several of the exercise machines didn't work. (We exercise every day, so this really mattered to us.)
We were also clear that we did not want to shop at all at the stops. (We were there to see the sites, not shop.) Our guides were always very understanding about this.
There was one dinner place in Shanghai which we didn't like the service, and that was because they were clearly overloaded with tourists. (It was the place we went to before the acrobatics show.) We didn't like the food that much, and they were just too busy. However our tour guide worked very hard to get better service for us.
We liked the breakfast at the Shanghai hotel best. Overall, that was probably our favorite hotel. WE loved that at each of the hotels, we could get eggs prepared to our liking in the morning.
We drink a lot of water, and had read that we couldn't drink the tap water... so would have liked more bottled water in the room. However, when we called and asked for more water, they always brought more, and it was free... so we were basically happy.
You all did a great job -- we had a wonderful time, and saw all the stuff we wanted to see. Thanks for a wonderful tour! My husband and I are extremely busy -- which is why we used a tour service!
All of our tour guides were great. River, in Beijing, was probably my favorite... and Jack, in Shanghai, was probably my husband's favorite. They were all polite, on-time, and very accommodating.
Customer's information:
Name: Mrs. Gordon & Mr. Kamradt
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 9 Days the Most Popular Cities Tour (Luxury)
Updated: Tuesday,Apr 07,2009
Echo Wall
From operator of CTO, Ivy
Dear Mrs. Gordon and Mr. Kamradt,
Thanks for your valued time and helpful feedback, which is very helpful to us to improve our service quality.
For the water problem, we have asked our local agency in Beijing to investigate the water situation. It was a great communication mistake . We will make sure to provide the bottle water to our clients to provide them with a comfortable tour. We firmly believe the water problem will not happen again.
For the meal environment in Shanghai before the Acrobatic Show, we have checked with our local agency. The problem is that that day there is a conference held in that hotel, where you had meal, so there is many people having meals there. They promise they will pay attention to the dining environment, and will change the dining place if needed to guarantee a good service to our customer.
We have also provide your suggestions to the Hotel in Beijing, to let them improve their service, especially with the exercise facilities.
Thanks again for your time and comments, especially the problems you mentioned, which really help us a lot.
Updated: April 9th, 2009
