Mr. Mark B's China Tour Review
Dear Ivy and CTO team,
We are leaving tomorrow to travel back to the US and just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time! The time really did fly by because we were having so much fun:) Since the forms we filled out didn't really provide a lot of space for written feedback, we wanted to send an email to let you know about our specific comments:
Beijing:
We absolutely loved our tour guide, Nancy!!! Her English was perfect and she knew the answers to all of the questions we had. She certainly made us feel welcome in a country that neither of us had been to before. She was there at the airport when we arrived and walked us onto our train to Xian at the end of our stay to make sure we were well situated. There was really nothing more that she could have done to make our stay in Beijing more perfect, and we thought of her more as a friend than a tour guide.
Our driver in Beijing (Mr. Chow) was also very good and was always waiting for us at each site. He was very safe and professional. He ran with our bags in hand to the train station when we were running a little bit late. We really couldn't have asked for more from a driver.
Xi'an:
Amanda was our tour guide here and she was great as well. The most impressive part about her was when we got off a long train ride from Beijing, she was literally on the platform when we exited the train (at the very door we came out of). I don't know how she did it because all of the other tour guides were in the waiting area inside the train station. Amanda was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She knew everything about Xi'an and the various sites we visited there. We were only there one night and the Wenyuan Hotel was located in a very convenient location to visit the local attractions. I would advise future travelers that it sometimes pays to stay in a more conveniently located 3 star hotel such as this one, than a 4 star hotel that is far from the attractions.
Lhasa:
Our guide in Lhasa (and the ten days we spent in Tibet) was named Tenzin. He and our driver (who was excellent) were there to meet us at the airport and take us to the hotel after our flight from Xi'an. Tenzin (he said we should call him "Ten":) was absolutely amazing. There is nobody that I can imagine that would be a better tour guide in Tibet. He knew everything and EVERYBODY there because he is a Tibetan national from Lhasa. He got us into places that other tour guides could not, leaving them looking at us as we accessed parts of temples and monasteries that the monks he personally knew let us into. I even heard members of a German group ask their guide why they couldn't go into a specific chapel that we were allowed into.
In addition to being a perfect guide, Ten was also a great person. He really cared about us and went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and truly enjoying ourselves. He had great advice for adjusting to the altitude and regarding local Tibetan customs and procedure. He was also someone who was trustworthy and reliable; ready to help with anything at any time of the day or night. I would let him watch my kids...
All in all, our stay in Tibet was magnificent and I would recommend the same itinerary (with the above caveats) at anyone.
Shanghai:
Sheri, who was very nice. Sheri did a great job of showing us the sites on the tour in Shanghai.
One final thing I would note about the trip was that the food was average at best in China and above average in Tibet. The Chinese meals were always in a budget tourist restaurant and the fare was very basic (which was fine for us). For people who are looking for a culinary adventure, this is definitely not it. The food was no different than what they serve in the US (sweet and sour pork, rice and a coke) for the most part. The Tibetan meals were pretty good and there was a wide variety that could be ordered from the menu, as opposed to China where we ate what they brought us and everyone in tour groups seemingly got the same thing.
Thank you again for a wonderful experience. We would surely recommend your agency to any of our friends who would plan on going to China or Tibet. Everything was very well organized and far beyond our expectations.
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Mark B
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 17 Days Beijing-Xian-Tibet-Shanghai Tour (Budget)
Updated: Monday,Jun 22,2009
Mr. Jorge Luis Reynoso's China Tour Review
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| Our client at Simatai Great Wall, Beijing |
Dear Chinatouronline,
All vehicles were clean and equipped with air-conditioned, the drivers were very polite all the time...I felt safe with them behind the wheel.
I could not do this trip without the help of my guides...they were all great…and very professional.
All restaurants were excellent. The waiters were all great. I do recommend more time between breakfast and lunch…usually I was having breakfast at the hotel at 9 or 9:30 am and the guide was already wanting me to go have lunch at 12:30….but they did worked with me and moved it to 2 or 2:30pm.
I believe the hotel in Beijing was the best. I believe it was called the Prime Hotel. Their breakfast was excellent. In the hotel in Xian it was very uncomfortable eating breakfast there because of the chairs...Great room but the chairs in the restaurant made it uneasy to eat. The hotel in Shanghai was also great amazing chandeliers.. awesome breakfasts...the people were great...I dropped around 300 Yuan on the floor and a waitress picked it up and handed it to me...lots of honest people.
All the attractions I visited are marvelous. I just kept saying to my tour guides..."wow"...I don't know how to put in to words how I was amazed and surprised at so much history and culture...the monuments...and the artifacts...still standing and the art of many many years ago...WOW ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Jorge Luis Reynoso
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 10 Days Beijing/Xian/Shanghai Tour (Luxury)
Updated: Tuesday,Jun 16,2009
Mrs. Victoria Bezpalko's China Tour Review
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| Our clients at Bell Tower, Xian |
Hello Sophia and Cindy,
Very sorry for the delay in reply. It took me a long time to adjust to time change and get back to a regular routine. It was very nice to meet you and your team. We had very good time in China. We absolutely impressed with amount of new construction and great infrastructure. That on top of great history and culture makes for the unforgettable experience. I also want to express our thanks for arranging our tour so professionally. You really did a great job! All local guides and drivers were very accommodating and knowledgeable.
We were very impressed by provided vehicle. They were good size to comfortably accommodate our group and luggage. Clean, air-conditioned. The drivers know roads very well and professionally navigate through the traffic. Drivers were very professional. They were polite and smiling. There was nothing to complaint about. They were very good! Specially driver in Chongqing. Our plane was late and we had very limited time to get to Dazu caves. The driver was able to get us there on time.
We had no problem in understanding the tour guides. They were very accommodating and helped us at hotels, restaurants and airports. Their knowledge of history and Chinese customs was very good. They also were able to arrange our time smartly, and were helpful providing information about places we wanted to visit in our free time. We really appreciated visit to tea ceremony in Beijing that Nancy arranged at our request. We would recommend you to include it to your regular offering because its interactive, presents new experience and tea is not as expansive to buy as souvenirs (compare to silk rugs that not many people can afford now). Also gourmet tea is very popular in America now, so people would appreciate if you will add this to the tour.
Also, in Xian we would recommend to offer Muslim market area and musk as an optional visiting place. Chinese architecture style in Muslim musk is very unique. It was a biggest surprise for us because we never so anything like this.
Chongqing impressed us with its size(we didn't know that it is biggest city in China) and roads. Drivers must be very professional to navigate in such a big city.
The decision to visit Dazu caves was very good. It was one of the highlights of our visit. Although our flight was late, the tour guide was able to arrange everything. Ms. Juiddy was awesome. Her English is very good and she has great problem solving abilities.
The tour guide Pemba in Tibet was one of the best. His experience as a monk brought extra meaning to history and culture. He also was very helpful when I wasn't feeling well from altitude sickness. Ms Judi in Shanghai was very professional as well. She was able to re-arrange our schedule to accommodate our requests.
The hotels were very good. We liked the authenticity of Bamboo garden in Beijing. All other hotels were very good too. Locations were very good in proximity to sightseeing places. Areas were safe and we were able to walk around on our own. Specially Central Hotel in Shanghai was in very good place in Bond area, very close to Nanjing road.
The restaurants and food were good. We actually liked the best the restaurant in Lhasa because we were able to order the food individually. The set menu in other restaurants were ok and easy way to accommodate the group but we would preferred if we could of order the dishes by our choice. The buffet style restaurants worked well too.
The food at Dumpling dinner and Show was great.
We would like to express our appreciation to the CTO for arranging such a great tour for us. Working with your company was easy. You were able to keep timely and transperant communication. The adjustments to the tour route and schedule were done to our requests. The logistics were worked out very professionally. All the tour guides and drivers were very knowelagable and accommodating. We had a great time!
We would like to praise the staff of the CTO Sophia and Cindy for organising the tour for us. Also big creadits going to our tour guides. They made our tour enjoyable and free from worries. Ms Nancy, Ms Dori, Mr Pemba, Mrs Juiddi, Mr Allen and Ms Judi - you are great professionals! It was a pleasure to visit your country. We will save the memories forever and will recommend all our friend to travel with CTO!
On another note, we want to praise the cruise crew for organizing interesting activities. We really enjoyed embroidery, glass painting, accupuncture and traditional painting demonstration. Antonia - sales manager, was very accommodating and pleasant.
The beauty of Yantze river and ennormouse work that went into construction of the Three Gourges Dam are very impressive!
Thank you very much for all your help! You live in the beautifull country and can be most proud of it!
Customer's information:
Name: Mrs. Victoria Bezpalko
Nationality: United States
Itinerary: 14 Days China Top Cities Tour with Yangtze Cruise (Luxury)
Updated: Monday,Jun 01,2009
