Tour reviews and feedbacks from our former clients in October, 2009.
Mr. Eugeni's China Tour Review
Dear Tracy and Ivy,
We have safely arrived home, and I would like to thank you for very good organized tour. We really enjoyed our China travel (except very high temperatures that days), and who knows probably we will come again to visit another regions and cities. In any case we will strongly recommend your agency to everybody who will decide to visit China.
According your request I attach the file with evaluation form of your service for Guilin. Also below I answer your questions.
The guide service in both cases was excellent. They speak enough clearly to be understood, and did not pressed to do some shopping. I want to pay a special attention to Jackie whose behavior was like a good friend, and this gave a feeling that we didn`t travel with an official guide. For us it was very good.
Driver service was excellent, vehicles were clean and equipped with air-conditioners.
In some cases the lunches were not very tasty and various. When we ate by ourself in the evening the food was much better, even we didn`t order something special and expensive.
Again thanks a lot for your assistance,
Kind regards
Eugeni
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Eugeni
Nationality: Israel
Itinerary: 9 Days China Tour with Xian & Guilin
Updated: Saturday,Oct 02,2010
Ms. Banerjee's China Tour Review
Dear Ivy Lu and Tracy Liu,
Thank you for organizing the wonderful trip for us in China. All of us had a wonderful time with you and thoroughly enjoyed all the cultural shows there. The hotel accommodations and services were also very good.
My only worry is the vegetarian food for my future trips. Unfortunately the vegetarian people are not at all flexible where food is concerned and that makes it more difficult for the organizers to arrange for their food !
For the rest of us the food was simply delicious and there was such a variety too ! Thank you for all the trouble you took.
My guides everywhere tried their best to help with this vegetarian food problem and so we somehow managed that side.
Our tour vehicles and the drivers were very good. We got our two bottles of mineral water each day free.
Unlike my previous experience, I found that the guides here did not try to push us to buy things from the factories or shops. They did not trouble us.
I would like to say a special word for our guide in Shanghai, Jessica. She was the best and I wish to definitely have her for my next visit. Lena in Xian was also good and so was Michael while Li in Guilin was a nervous lady and tried her best to satisfy us. On the whole they were all good, with Jessica the best.
Before taking another group I am now wanting to visit China with my husband because I liked your beautiful country so much. My husband will also like the picturesque country and enjoy all the lovely meals too.
Thanks for everything.
Customer's information:
Name: Ms. Banerjee
Nationality: India
Itinerary: 10 Days Classic China Tour with Yangshuo
Updated: Sunday,Oct 25,2009
Ms. Nicola Ward's China Tour Review
Hi Tracy:
Thanks for the photo – it came out really well. It was really lovely to meet you and put a face to the name at the end of all of the emails! We had a lovely trip and Mike and I would like to thank you in particular for making it all so easy for us and for arranging a fantastic holiday – I know we gave you some problems along the way but you handled everything in a very professional manner. I have replied to your questions below so hope the answers are helpful for you. Sorry for taking a few days but I wanted to make sure I had time to be thorough for you.
Thanks again and be assured that we would definitely recommend your company in future.
We had no problem with any of the vehicles and found them all to be very comfortable and clean. Air cons all worked and the minivans in particular were great for the airport pick-ups and collections when we had our luggage with us.
The drivers were also very polite and courteous to us and we had no problems with anyone offending us – no smoking, yelling etc. The best and most attentive driver was probably the one in Shanghai. He was particularly courteous and friendly.
We had great respect for all of the tour guides as their comprehension of English was so good. They were all very well informed and friendly towards us and they were all waiting for us in the airports as we arrived at each location. Everyone also arrived at the arranged time each morning to collect us.
The bottled water was available to us every day and was very useful as we were regularly out in hot weather for a couple of hours at a time. This is a great service and I think necessary as you definitely need to drink water during the day to keep hydrated – thank you!
Food
We found the lunch restaurant on the first day in Beijing to be very good as it was small and we were served hot food. We had a problem at the delicate dumpling banquet as they could not initially find seats for us. Jasmine was very good and really tried to help but the problem was that we had been allocated with another couple from another group and they did not want to share their table. I think in future if you only have a group of 2 people a separate table should be booked for them to ensure that this does not happen again.
The rest of the lunch restaurants were good and the one at the Terracotta Warriors and the one in Shanghai were very good. The dinner in Chongqing was also in a lovely restaurant.
The food on the ship was excellent and we could not fault it at all. The tables were well organised and the service from the waiters and waitresses was excellent. The choice of food on board was also fantastic. We would definitely recommend the Victoria Anna to anyone wanting to cruise the Yangtze. Also the breakfasts in each of the hotels were very good, with a lot of choice of both Western and Asian foods.
There was a lot of food in each location and we regularly had to leave up to half of it, which seemed a great waste. We also found that we usually received a very large bowl of soup with the meals and there were only 2 of us. It was not hot quite often and we would have preferred less food but hotter food, with the rice and vegetables served at the same time as the meat dishes. One other thing we noticed was that a lot of the plates and bowls etc. were chipped or cracked – the restaurants must improve on this as westerners do not like to see this.
Tracy we certainly are not complaining as we had a great experience with the food but I know if my parents went that they would complain about cold food!!! I think it is useful for you to know our views to help in the future
Hotels
The Prime Hotel in Beijing was very centrally located and was an excellent choice. It offered free internet service in the room, which is very useful when you are travelling and the room was spacious and very comfortable.
The Grand New World Hotel in Xian was also very good and we would recommend it highly.
Victoria Anna was excellent and definitely 5 star. We really appreciated the Junior Suite upgrade that we received and when we saw it we were very pleased. The ship was only about half full so there was plenty of room onboard and the staffs were fantastic.
The Hua Ting hotel in Shanghai was lovely but we would have preferred to have been closer to the downtown area. It was a very high standard but we spent a lot of time travelling back and forward from our attractions. The room we got was lovely and the internet charges were reasonable. Hotels are lovely. Staff are very helpful and no problems for us. I would probably recommend the Prime Hotel as the best one.
I will certainly send you some of our pictures – once I have sorted them out – still not had time to do so yet!!! I will forward to you under separate email.
In general we were very impressed with how modern China has become. We could not comprehend the size and scale of the various cities and the fantastic infrastructure that you have. The airports in particular were very efficient and we had neither delays nor problems at check-in. We both travel a lot and expected there to be some hold ups but this simply did not happen. We could not believe how upmarket the main shopping street in Beijing is, full of designer shops which unfortunately we could not afford to buy from!!! We would have loved to have spent more time in Xian and we would love to see Shanghai when all the work is completed for the Expo next year. As for the Yangtze river – we would both strongly recommend the cruise to everyone as it is a lovely chance to relax and sail through such fantastic scenery. The highlights of my trip were the Great Wall (even though it was a foggy day!), the Terracotta Warriors, which I have always wanted to see and the Yangtze River cruise as it was so interesting.
We have no problem with our comments being posted on your website. I found your company details during a websearch when I was trying to plan our trip and I found the comments of your customers to be very helpful. I would certainly recommend the professional service that we received from you, but in particular I think the friendly and caring manner of yourself and your guides etc. made this a fantastic holiday to remember for us for a very long time.
In particular can I praise you Tracy again for the professional way in which you organised everything for us – no detail was too small and we really appreciated being able to meet you. It was difficult for us to finalise some of the details because of the changes to our holiday schedule at late notice but you were very efficient and very helpful. Thank you again!
I would also praise Jasmine for her lovely, friendly and very professional service to us. We really enjoyed our time with her and found her to be a great asset to your team. She is very knowledgeable and helpful and made our trip in Xian a lot of fun. We hope to keep in touch with her by email and send her some of the photos we took.
I notice you do not have a question regarding the entertainment that we experienced. We both thoroughly enjoyed the Beijing Opera, the Tang Dynasty Musical and the Acrobatic Show. They were fantastic shows, very entertaining and well worth seeing. The talent was amazing. We did not get a chance to go back to the hotels to shower and change clothes for the shows and this was fine for us as everyone was dressed quite casually. It would be worth letting clients know that they will be having long days and will not be back to the hotels between tours and the shows, especially for older people who may get quite tired – I do recommend that these shows are not missed though as they were a very enjoyable part of our trip.
Customer's information:
Name: Ms. Nicola Ward
Nationality: United Kingdom
Itinerary: 12 Days Majestic China Tour with Yangtze Cruise (Luxury)
Updated: Wednesday,Oct 21,2009
Mrs. Kylie Flanagan's China Tour Review
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| Our clients at Forbidden City, Beijing |
Dear Sophia & Cindy,
Every tour vehicle was very clean and extremely functional – there were 6 of us so having an entire mini bus to ourselves meant we could spread out and enjoy the journey without sitting on top of each other.
The drivers were extremely flexible and allowed us to stop whenever we wanted to; whether it be for a toilet stop or a photo opportunity stop.
The tour guides themselves were a highlight of the trip. Juliette in Beijing was absolutely delightful and we wanted to take her along with us for the entire journey! She was full of knowledge and also very friendly. Our flight into Beijing was late yet she was still at the airport waiting for us. Pemba in Lhasa was also very knowledgeable and we enjoyed his company very much. My husband suffered from altitude sickness in Lhasa and Pemba looked after him very well. The best thing about our guides is that they were very flexible and patient with us; sometimes we would wander off to take photos and they would always wait for us without complaining. All tour guides spoke exceptional English and there were never any communication issues. They were not just our guides – by the time we left them we felt like we had made a good friend.
We enjoyed the restaurants you chose however would have liked to have been able to choose our own a little more. It was good to have lunch provided however dinner would be better if travellers could choose their own restaurants. That said the food supplied was always a fantastic and flavoursome feast and there was always too much to eat! We felt bad leaving half of the food there and think that restaurants could serve half as much and still satisfy their guests.
I really enjoyed the Snowland restaurant in Lhasa. Other general lunchtime restaurants along the way were also very good.
The hotels were fantastic, especially the Zen Garden hotel in Lijiang. The Kyichu hotel in Lhasa had a fantastic location, as did Jim’s Tibetan hotel in Dali. We especially loved the JI Courtyard hotel in Beijing and felt privileged to stay in such a beautiful hutong area. The rooms here were immaculate and the location spot on!
We went to a few shopping places, most notably a big one in Lhasa which was very over priced. The guide let us be and we were not pressured to purchase anything. We also went to a jade factory en route to the Great Wall. Once again there was no pressure and it was in fact a perfect rest stop with a lot to look at.
I would like to praise the people in your booking office (Sophia Sun & Cindy Chang). Your company is very fortunate to have such wonderful employees who obviously take much pride in their work and therefore provide exceptional service. Your lovely ladies were so patient with my many requests and changes. By the time we went on the tour we had sent no less than 70 emails back and forth to make sure everything was right. As a result absolutely everything on the tour was perfect. I was impressed that Sophia and Cindy were so polite and were never agitated by my silly questions and many emails. The best thing about your company is the flexibility to tailor make your own itinerary and Sophia and Cindy made this a breeze. Also the price of your tours is very competitive. I have used other travel agency for a previous China tour and would never go back to them after using China Tour Online. The price we paid for a private tour (with nice hotels) was a lot less than what the former travel agency offer for a group tour (using average hotels). I also really appreciate your office obtaining Beijing – Lhasa train tickets for us. We were told that due to Chinese National Day that we may not be able to get tickets but of course your team came through. This train journey was the absolute highlight of the trip for me and once again I want to express my gratitude and thanks for getting us the tickets. I have already recommended China Tour Online to friends and will continue to do so. Thank you so much for your wonderful service. Your business deserves every success! THANK YOU!
Customer's information:
Name: Mrs. Kylie Flanagan
Nationality: Australia
Itinerary: 17Days Beijing/Lhasa/Chengdu/Lijiang/Dali/Kunming/Guilin (Budget)
Email: sunset66@bigpond.net.au
Updated: Tuesday,Oct 20,2009
Mr. Daryl Leigh Molloy and Mrs. Sonja Luise Molloy's China Tour Review
Hello Ivy and Tracy,
It was good to meet you Ivy in Xian. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and have many fond memories of our time in China - we have a lot of photographs to remember our trip and some of the people that we met along the way. Our overall summary of Chinatoursonline is that you and your people did an excellent job to plan and then implement a wonderful program. We especially liked the personal service and special attention to our needs.
The vehicles were generally clean and tidy with ample space for us. All of the vehicles were relatively new and had good air-conditioning. Drivers were polite and friendly and did not smoke in or near the vehicles. The drivers were also polite in that they only used the horn infrequently. I think your guides have been quick to train them especially when some of the drivers are first time drivers for the specific guide.
The tour guides were generally excellent and we had no problems communicating. The knowledge of the guides and their understanding of English and our customs did vary quite a bit based on their experience in the positions. Both Joe in Shanghai and River in Beijing are well experienced professionals in their jobs and this can be seen in their relaxed approach and flexibility in helping us. Mai in Xian was quite nervous at first but once she relaxed she was very good and always tried to help us - she obviously doesn’t have the same experience as the other two mentioned above - I am sure that she has the right attitude just lacks in experience. Due to time the other guides were really just transfers to/from the respective airports and we really didn’t have a chance to get to know them - they were helpful. The guides were all very good. Special praise to Joe who treated us as a friend - he is very good at his job. River was also very friendly and helpful to us.
The bottled water were provided as necessary and in fact additional water was available on a couple of occasions when we needed it.
The restaurants were generally a good choice with ample food of good quality. We found all of them good but the restaurants in Beijing were generally a little better than the others.
The accommodation was excellent in Beijing with friendly staff. In Xian the hotel and staff were good but the location was a bit too far from the centre of the city for us to explore it by ourselves. The Yangtze river cruise was excellent with plenty of room in the cabin and very friendly and helpful staff. We were disappointed with the hotel in Shanghai. The facilities were limited for example no cupboard space to unpack our clothes. The staff were also generally not very friendly even though we spent more than 1 week at this hotel. The location was OK and we were able to easily access the subway for travelling into the heart of the city.
We had an excellent time and as I said Chinatoursonline did a very good job in pre-planning the whole trip. We enjoyed the cultural evenings and especially loved the acrobat show. We found it a good time to travel being the celebration of modern China’s 60th birthday.
We also thoroughly enjoyed the whole Yangtze river cruise with wonderful staff. Our "larger group" day tours from on the boat helped to reinforce the special treatment that we had for the whole trip by booking a private tour with Chinatoursonline. If we tour China again in the future be assured that you will be our first contact point.
Customer's information:
Name: Mr. Daryl Leigh Molloy and Mrs. Sonja Luise Molloy
Nationality: Australia
Itinerary: 17 Days China Discovery Tour with Yangtze Cruise (Luxury)
Updated: Thursday,Oct 15,2009
