Excellent the first night meal in Guilin: highly recommendable! Not enough Chinese and spicy in Yangshuo, even if the location of the restaurant is unique and wonderful…

Liu zhe xi was an excellent guide, with enthusiasm and sense of humor. Not any language problem. The transmission of information was quite satisfactory and enough for us. Very nice and smiling guy; the car was perfectly clean all the way.

We were particularly thankful for the possibility to make a last minute change on the planned program of the first night in Guillin, i.e. to go for a boot tour on the seven lakes instead to the show on minorities.

The best moment of our entire journey in China was clearly the show in Yangshuo, “Impressions of Sanje Liu”, presented by Zhang Yimou in a unique and scenic landscape. No problem for publication of pictures or text in your testimonial column, simply write my name under the pictures.

And thank you for your perfect organization…

  Overall the meals were very good. Initially we felt some of the meals were a little bland but once we explained to the tour guides that we would like to try more popular, and spicy Chinese food they improved significantly. I would certainly suggest advising tour guides to ask about food preferences when they first meet clients as clearly some will be more adventurous than others. Perhaps this is something that could even be asked before the trip to help in the selection of restaurants.

We very much enjoyed the lunch in Yangshou. We were not so keen when we ate in the hotel in Xian, the food and ambience were not very good. Overall I would suggest it is better to take clients out of their hotel to eat.

All the guides were extremely good. I would like to emphasise this as we rated two as good and two as excellent in the feedback forms - this was not because the "good" guides were substandard, but because the other two excelled themselves.

The service attitude of all of the drivers was likewise extremely good and the cars in a good condition throughout.

The tour guide in Beijing was exceptional. Her knowledge was excellent. We really felt she went beyond the required service level for example teaching us Chinese words and was happy to engage in discussion and explain things when we had questions.

  I must first of all apologise for not replying to your email earlier, things have been rather hectic since we returned from Hong Kong.

We had the most fantastic time in your care whist we were in China. Everything that we experienced was absolutely great. we booked with you because we wanted an individual experience of China ,we didn't want to be part of a group being herded from place to place , and what we experienced was just what we required. The itinerary that you created for us was perfect for our needs. We rarely felt that we were part of the "tourist trail" , in fact often we felt that we were the only tourists around.

Your care before we left England was excellent, replying to our emails promptly and in a professional manner. we felt safe in your hands. We certainly felt that we received value for our money. The hotels that we stayed in were perfect for our needs (being clean and not too smart) They were all in an ideal position for exploring on our own. The guides that you provided were excellent in all respects, always showing a caring attitude. The standard of English spoken by all three guides was excellent, their local knowledge and preparedness to make every day full of interest was greatly appreciated by us both. We specially enjoyed the meals provided during the tour, made all the more enjoyable by our guides ordering food that we liked. The meal on the last day in Guilin was probably the best ( Mc Found's !).We had only one meal experience which was disappointing , the meal in question being the one at the silk factory. It was the only meal that we had that was not Chinese. i am now very proficient with chopsticks.

The drivers and the vehicles were excellent, in most cases being brand new vehicles. Nothing was too much trouble for the drivers. The organisation for our internal flights and train were perfect ,we simply turned up at the airport or staion and checked in with no problems.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first taste of real China, we found that everyone that we met was so helpful. We have experienced Hong Kong on many occasions and did not realise just how different China would be. We will certainly return to China in the future and will once again place ourselves in "Travel China Guide's" hands. Perhaps next time we will experience more of the rural side of the country. Our favourite part of the trip was the boat ride to Yangshou and even more so the "electric car" ride up the valley to see the villages and the farms. I wish that there had been more time to explore this area. We did not fully realise how far we were going up the valley when the guide asked us whether we wanted to use bikes or the electric car. I am glad that we opted for the car.

The canals and the area round the canals in Shuzhou , the beauty of Hangzhou, West Lake and the temple will stay in our memories for ever. The "alternative" show in Guilin was MAGNIFICENT, we have experienced ethnic shows all over Asia and were not too disappointed when you informed us of the change in shows. The show we saw was unique in our experience, I was even moved to buy the DVD of the show (and that is a first).

Many thanks to all at TCG for providing us with a memorable China experience, don't undersell yourselves in your tour descriptions, the itinerary was much better in reality than it was on paper.

If you want to quote me in any advertising feel free to do so, if you append an email address please use rwgreaves@fsmil.net as I am concerned about possible spam on my main address.

Once again thanks to you all, specially Tina and Maggie, it is a pity we didn't meet you. We always thought of you as friends.

Yours Roger and Heather Greaves.

ps the taxi ride from our hotel in Shanghai to the railway station was "hairy" we allowed an hour and arrived with 5 minutes to spare, after a long sprint trying to keep up with our porter we boarded the train with seconds to spare ! I was stiff for 2 days after that (I am 63).. The train journeys were most enjoyable, better that in the UK

  Hi Nicole - what a delight to have been able to meet you and Ruby while on our trip - which was truly memorable. I will also send a set of some of our pictures.

A valued component of your tour is that it is truly international (in our group of 13: 6 from the US; 2 from Tunisa; 3 Chinese via Philippines; and 2 Pakistan). You should market this as another reason to choose your group, as too oftern there are only us tourists in a group, which isn't as good. The diversity of participants truly enriched the experience unfortunately too often Americans in large groups can be too demanding - and embarrassing. Good timing for most - for the guides knew what we needed to see and how long it would take. Like the Forbidden City - it was so huge and yet Mr. Du got us through it all in a meaningful way, which also made me glad we didn't spend more time at Tian'anmen Square. I liked the way Du let us have some time (right length) to roam alone to see what interested us and wish that Mark had done that more with us.

Many meals seemed so similar, but I understand and the family style is a good way. More variety of vegetables would have been nice (Mark arranged for us to have eggplant one night - delicious!) Dumplings and Peking Duck Dinner (I make it also and was delighted to see how it is prepared), also the lunch on the Li River cruise was delightful - We were expecting a poor one and were pleasantly surprised. Our group also purchased additional items to try.

All the guide were all conscientious. Mark's language skills were not as good as the others, but he was very knowledgeable and worked hard to meet our needs (IE: He arranged for my daughter to meet an artist in Yangshuo - but unfortunately she wasn't feeling well and we therefore couldn't spend much time with him). They were all extremely knowledgeable. Echo had the best language skills and therefore was able to share more information. Each guide provided specialized information as needed, which was truly appreciate... For example, Durbin Du told us about the nearby garden in Beijing, which we walked through when we got to our hotel - a delightful way to stretch our legs after a long flight from the US.

The vehicles were very good, very clean. The driver in Beijing was new and understandable was slower to get to destinations - but did so safely, which is more important.

Our hotel and location in Beijing was perfect!!! Each morning we took walks in the corridor garden (that Mr. Du told us about) connecting with Tian'anmen Square and hutongs in the area. We were delighted to spend time in Yangshuo, even though it wasn't as long as originally planned. The trip to the village, past rice paddies was a highlight of our trip.

OTHER COMMENTS:
1. It would be best for each couple to give their own evaluation of each section of the trip. When the group only had on form for mark, it was unfair to him, as there were many differing options.

2. Guy suggested having cooking demonstrations or tours through a kitchen - which would be a great idea. After the terracotta army tour, when we have lunch there was a window to view the noodle making, which was fascinating and could have been elaborated on.

3. Many thanks for splitting up the group - 13 was a delightful size and we were very compatible.

4. I will send you the set of 209 pictures representing may of the aspects of the tour (culled from about 1500 my daughter and I took).

5. All the guides should have a way to be identified (Du and Echo had flags and Nancy had a flower, but Mark didn't have anything and, although we didn't have to deal with as many crowded situations, it may have helped.)

6. The value (cost compared to all that was provided) was exceptional! I will refer friends to your company. We liked that everything, except the driver/guide tips and two meals were included. And we liked having the flexibility to choose our own dinners in Shanghai and Yangshuo.

7. We liked learning about the three areas - Beijing = political capital; Xian = Historical capital & wheat/noodle belt; Shanghai = financial capital and we were s very grateful to spend some time in the more rural area of the Li River (one of the key reasons for initially choosing your company - I've always been enamored by the karst mountains). I really didn't think we'd be able to see so much in the 12 days we had - and your tour went way beyond our hopes and dream.

Carolyn

  Dear Ruby --Dear Nicole

We just finished our 3 week trip planned thru you and wanted to send you a thank you message for your wonderful arrangements. We had a glorious time in China --and our trip will be a memorable one. China is a beautiful country -- and we had a great time.

Your arrangements were excellent -- detailed and accurate . Local guides provided at every location were courteous, knowledgeable and kind. Of all the guides provided by you, Rocky at Lijiang was exceptionally good including his language skills and knowledge of the area indicating that he had more years of experience than the rest. Transportation arranged was clean -and all drivers were very good. Meals were also very nice

Some suggestions

1) Meals - We would have preferred an option to order Chinese meals "A La Carte" in lieu of fixed menu at the various sites- this way we could have enjoyed the Chinese meals even more and there would not have been wastage. Maybe a good idea also to give option of Western meals on a few days - this way we will enjoy your Chinese meals even more

2) Internal Flights -- if detailed information is given before the trip --it helps us in our planning

3) Having a step stool handy would have made it easier to get in and out of the van. Also getting to the back seat of the van provided in Beijing was difficult as we had to maneuver between the front passenger seats. There was no access near the door to get to the back seats.

Thanks again for a great vacation

Kris & Shyamala Gopal (USA)
Ash & Roop Chhabra (USA)

  Dear Sophie Yang & Vicky Dong:

We are not home to the USA yet. We added two weeks to our cruise and are now in Istanbul, Turkey ~ BUT we have a good internet connection and I wanted to answer your comments survey before I even forget where we've been...we will have been gone from home 2 months tomorrow and transited 10 countries!

How could we ever forget our time in China? It was the highlight of our 2 month trip!!

Alex and I were supremely thrilled with the way our experience with Travel China Guide turned out! From the moment we landed in Beijing and the guide and driver met us at baggage claim we were in confident, prompt, friendly and efficient hands. All of our arrangements ran on time. The guides in both cities were friendly and knowledgeable. They were on time and very familiar with the in's and out's of the many sites we visited tailoring our itinerary each day to best utilize our time and avoid crowds. All of the cars were clean, odor free and the drivers friendly and safe. Travel China Guide was immediately responsive to our request the final day for a larger car to tour in as we had all of our excessive luggage with us for the airport after the tour.

The hotels we stayed in were lovely especially the Crown Plaza in Beijing...the Intercontinental in Xian was clean but the lighting was dull in the room and it had been hard used. The public areas were fine. The breakfast at the Crown Plaza was excellent and very very good too at the Intercontinental.

The lunches provided in Beijing were excellent...the rustic one as well as the one at the resort. The only disappointing meal..actually the only negative about the whole experience was the Peking Duck. Every thing else rated way above our expectations. I would not recommend the Peking dinner in that large room at the hotel...the food was cold...the atmosphere very cold and uninteresting. Our friends went to a place where the ducks were hanging on a turn style and they had loads of atmosphere and then went to the Opera afterward. Our Opera location and experience was very good and we were glad we'd done chosen to do it....added a lot to the cultural experience.

We would be happy to recommend Travel China Guide, based on our experience, to anyone. It was recommended to us by friends and we were not only not disappointed but delighted with our experience. If we are ever able to come to China again...Travel China Guide will be the first one we contact so we can see the country through the eyes of someone who lives there. Please give our best regards to Lilly in Xian...our Terricotta Warriors will probably make it home before we do!

Thanks for a wonderful experience :)

Sincerely,
Deborah & Alex Haase
New Smyrna Beach, FL USA