Tour reviews and feedbacks from our former clients in December, 2009.
Mr.& Mrs. Snedeker's China Tour Review
 |
Dear Sophia & Cindy,
Please see my comments below. I have also attached our evaluation of Emma from our time in Xi’an.
The guide service far exceeded expectations. Both Emma & Cindy are excellent tour guides with extensive knowledge of history and places, with great English speaking skills. It is obvious they are enjoy being tour guides, and they are very good at it. They were both enjoyable to speak with and fun to be around. The stops at souvenir shops seem well placed and appropriate, and were not pressured.
Most of the meals were adequate. The dumpling banquet was excellent.
The hotels were very good, the breakfasts were a nice way to start the day with a good selection of food and beverages. I would recommend all the hotels were stayed at.
Best Regard,
Matt & Shefali
Customer's information:
Name: Mr.& Mrs. Snedeker
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 6 Days of Beijing and Xian
Updated: Wednesday,Dec 22,2010
Ms. Ligia 's China Tour Review
 |
| Our guests at Great wall |
Hi Sophie!!
Thanks for all the support you gave us...
China is amazing and I loved the trip, bellow my personal feedback, Karine and Otavio will send theirs as soon as possible:
Lily in Xian was amazing, kind, funny and very supportive in every moment, I loved her!!!
Charlie in Shanghai was very focused and intelligent, good professional and supported us in every request, until a Brazilian restaurant he arranged to us ;)
Jason in Beijing was very open, intelligent, perfect English and made the possible to support us a very good way . I personally have a problem in the hotel IBIS Beijing, when I arrived there my reservation was cancelled because of no show, we were sent to hotel at 8PM and reservation was about to 12PM, as I did not know this... I was very upset a thanks I was with friends and I could be in Karine’s room otherwise I needed to move to another hotel at 9PM very tired, the point is we arrived at Beijing at 10 AM, so going to hotel check in must be included.
The drivers were very good. Mainly Mrs. Gu in Beijing always kind and w/ smile on her face.
Lunches and Dinners were in the very good level of restaurants. But as a feedback, as western food is different from Chinese food, a mix could be done like one meal a day could be chinese the other could be western ;)
Thanks for everything the trip was amazing and this happened because of your support all the time!
Regards
Customer's information:
Name: Ms. Ligia
Nationality: Brazil
Itinerary: 7 Days of Xian-Beijing-Shanghai Tour
Email: lzotini@hotmail.com
Updated: Wednesday,Dec 15,2010
Elizabeth, Frank Paiva & Aaron's China Tour Review
 |
| clients with farmer discovered Terra-Cotta Army |
Hi Tracy & Ivy
I am really sorry it took so long to respond. Please see below for my comments. I have also attached a few photos.
The tour vehicles were in good condition and the air-con worked fine.
The drivers were courteous and assisted the older people in the group get in/out of the van. The driver in Beijing was great as he navigated the peak hour traffic (which seems to be 24 hours!) really well, so that we had more time sightseeing and less time stuck in traffic.
All tour guides were very knowledgeable and flexible with our needs. Some were easier to understand than others, but overall I don’t believe anyone in our group had any issues understanding the guides. Emily in Beijing was the most experienced and showed a lot of patience with our group. Lena, in Xian, was an absolute stand-out both in terms of her clear, precise English and also her vibrant character. There is no substitute for enthusiasm! Eddy in Shanghai was also good and very humble. We saved a lot of money by using his local knowledge of where to shop. We love to bargain, so we were in our element!
The free bottles of water are a thoughtful service that was much appreciated by all of us.
The restaurants were of a very good standard. Quite spacious and pleasant atmosphere. A couple of them also had evening entertainment. The quality of the food we had was excellent, except for Shanghai where we thought the standard was average. Maybe it was because we had such excellent meals in Beijing & Xian that our expectations were too high by the time we reached Shanghai. Also, we had dinner at the same Shanghai restaurant twice. This should preferably be avoided.
The restaurants were clean and hygienic. No communication problems in the hotel restaurants. Had a bit of difficulty getting staff in the outside restaurants to understand what we required, but no major issues. The food was delicious, well presented and the range seemed endless! The buffet breakfast at all 3 hotels were superb. Luckily we had a lot of walking to do each day, so that we could burn off the calories! I can’t remember all the restaurant names, but in my opinion, the best meals were as follows: Beijing - Peking Duck dinner. Xian - Western buffet dinner at Grand New World, Dumpling Dinner at Tang Dynasty show, Steamboat lunch at local restaurant (organized by Lena). Shanghai - lunch at local restaurant
Here are some suggestions:
- The choice of only fruit for dessert after every meal was a bit boring. Maybe they should serve some special Chinese desserts, or ice cream, to give people some variety.
- We were offered rice for lunch and dinner. Maybe noodles for dinner might have been a better choice.
- Have at least one steamboat meal and one western meal (steaks, etc) on the 8 day tour. You will find that people will appreciate the change in cuisine
The selection of hotels was excellent! Prime hotel in Beijing had the best location - close to the main attractions and stroll to shops. Grand New World in Xian had the smallest rooms. Lexington Plaza in Shanghai was fabulous and easily the best of the 3 we stayed at. Extra bed for our 10 year old son was also organized prior to our check-in.
We were very lucky that we got to meet the farmer who discovered the terracotta warriors. We have attached a few photos taken on our trip. You are welcome to publish this on your website for other readers.
Overall, the 8-day Splendid Tour offers excellent value for money. We were somewhat concerned about making an internet payment but our fears were put to rest by your company. Very honest, efficient and reliable people. We will certainly recommend CTO to our friends who intend touring China. The tour was well put-together and went like clockwork. The 2 domestic flights were on time with no issues. The only recommendation I would make is that the visit to the Badaling Wall should start early so as to avoid the traffic. Our tour group would have been happy to leave the hotel at 7:30am instead of 8:30am. Keep up the good standard CTO! Thanks for the fantastic memories and I am sure we will be back!
Please feel free to post our comments on the CTO website.
Elizabeth & Frank Paiva (and son Aaron 10 yrs)
Sydney, Australia
Lena in Xian was a fantastic guide! CTO should try to employ more guides like Lena. Also, it was very nice to meet Tracy & Ivy who organized the whole tour. There was nothing they could not do!
Customer's information:
Name: Elizabeth, Frank Paiva & Aaron
Nationality: Australia
Itinerary: 8 Days Splendid China Tour
Updated: Tuesday,Dec 15,2009
