2019 Customer Reviews

I want to thank you for providing us with a wonderful experience during our visit to China. In every city we found the guides to be well prepared and able to share the history of the region and to answer our questions about the way of life of Chinese people in these cities. We had two favorite meals. In Xian we had the best meal on the first evening at the restaurant she arranged for us. We also enjoyed the meal arranged for us in Chongqing before we boarded the ship. Throughout our trip, the guides asked us about what types of food we would like to experience, and when we had time in Chongqing before the cruise tour, the guide arranged for us to go to a hot pot restaurant, which was very unique and enjoyable. When I discussed this survey with my partner, we both agreed that we could not remember any meal that was not a good meal. The guides were all very good. The most outstanding were the young lady in Guilin, the young man in Shanghai, and the young lady in Xian. I believe that the guides you provided were very proficient in English and all were interesting people to meet and spend time with. Your organization has identified some very professional and talented people. We loved the trip down the Yangtze River, the ship and staff were all wonderful. All the drivers had nice vehicles, they were always clean and the driver was always friendly, although I don’t think many of them understood English. I do not have any complaint about the quality of their work. Thank you for the wonderful China trip.

My husband and I recently completed our trip to China, and I am now commenting on behalf of my husband and I.
1. Meals
All the restaurants that they chose were of a very good standard, with nice surroundings. The only criticism is that as westerners we like to have our rice with the main courses. Unfortunately the rice was always brought at the end of the meal, even though our guides had requested it to be brought with the other dishes. The meal we enjoyed most was in Xian at the Tang Dynasty dinner show. The home visit in Xian was also very good; our host made some lovely dishes and was very hospitable.
2. Guides.
We were very impressed with our guides who we found to be punctual and extremely helpful. They all spoke very good English and were very informative about every place we visited. Nothing was too much trouble for them. They made our trip so interesting, that we feel we would like to return and spend more time in China. The guide who we especially found interesting was Lin, in Beijing. He brought the history of the area "alive". When we had our meals, he seemed to disappear but was always on hand if we had any problems. I would highly recommend both him and Mi the driver to any of our friends.
3. Drivers
I must admit we were spoilt with our first driver, who drove a very nice car. He was very attentive, always opening doors and making sure we had enough water. His car was immaculate and was always on time. The other two vehicles were people carriers, which I personally found too high getting in and out. The driver in Xian provided water when we arrived but none on 2nd day but did on the last day. The driver in Shanghai was always on time and we had plenty of water. All the drivers were very experienced drivers and we felt safe with all of them.
4. Hotel
All the hotels we stayed in were very nice .The rooms were spacious and very clean. The breakfasts in all of them were buffet style and there was something to please everyone. In every hotel the staff was polite and helpful.
We found the two shows we were taken to very entertaining and well worth seeing. Thank you all for organizing such a memorable trip. The Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors overwhelmed us and we will be talking about our trip for many years to come.

We have had such a wonderful time. I have recommended you to 4 of my friends and they are going to come down in 2020. We had the best time and both me and my husband find this to be the most memorable vacation of our lifetime. Our guide Barry in Beijing was WONDERFUL. He brought the whole group alive and kept us laughing and amused. His knowledge is very vast and could answer all our questions. We also saw that he is proud of his country and was very happy whenever we asked him anything about China. When we went down for breakfast at the hotel the staff were very very efficient, prompt and friendly. We loved every single day and thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the hotel. Or stay in Xian was also very very enjoyable and the place was also very interesting. Our guide was young and had good knowledge. She did not have the same jovial nature like Barry but she was always smiling and friendly. She also had good knowledge of the places she took us to and the best part about her was the way she selected the food for us at all the restaurants in Xian. The hotel in Xian was good but not the service. When we went down for breakfast the staff were not attentive and gave us the impression that they could not be bothered if we ate or not. We felt like strangers at the hotel in Xian. We enjoyed the shows very very much. Guess what !!?? my husband, me and 4 of our good friends are going to do this tour ONCE AGAIN but will also include the other places like Tibet, Hong Kong and Macau. We want to do another trip that includes all these places PLUS Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. Thank you very much.

We had a wonderful trip and have a few comments and observations as follows:
1. The Guides. All spoke very good English and were very helpful.
John in Beijing was excellent and great company. In particular he helped us to get on board the train at Beijing which was very confusing. He helped us right through to the actual carriage which surprised many of the other travelers who's guides had left them at the gate.
Tracy in Xi-an, also excellent and probably the easiest to talk to with lots of family chat which we found very interesting about life in China. Tracy also helped us to change our rail tickets and upgrade them to soft sleeper deluxe. We certainly could not have done this very easily on our own.
Ting Ting in Shanghai. We really challenged Ting Ting by losing our rail tickets to Beijing! She negotiated all the actions we needed to take and gave us Chinese instruction notes to use on our way and collect a rebate.
Gerry in Shanghai. Gerry had the easiest stretch with us - Water town and the 100 storey tower. Great English and gave lots of insight into Chinese life.
2. Tours.
Beijing: Tiananmen Square was disappointing as really there isn't anywhere to visit and understand the history. Great Wall was absolutely brilliant!! We could have spent our whole time here!! Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven were good. Ming Tombs need to be made more of. The lead in is impressive but there was very little to see in the tombs, which is a great shame and a wasted opportunity. Hutong was very interesting. Kung Fu show was also interesting but similar to many to be seen in Europe.
Xi-an: Terracotta warriors was again, brilliant!! As with the wall we could have spent our whole time here. Museum in Xi-an. Disappointing for us. Long queue to get in and really not that big a deal. Family Visit was excellent and really interesting to make our own food and talk to the house owner. Dumpling Dinner was good and I now know how many dumplings are too many..!
Shanghai: The Bund, Yuyuan gardens and Nanjing Road are all great and recommended but we really loved. Water town, we went early and it was a beautiful day with no crowds. What a place! Lovely. Shanghai World Financial centre is a great place to visit as well.
3. Hotels
Holiday Inn Beijing was the cleanest and most efficient. However the food was rarely hot even first thing in the morning.
Xian hotel was comfortable but seemed paranoid about loss of hotel property like towels and slippers etc. Again food was rarely hot and there were shortages some days of certain food items. This was the only hotel that had draft beer available although the others had taps they didn't have the beer.
Hotel in Shanghai was the worst of the three hotels although in a good location. It's basically a bit run down. No problem with service etc., just needs to be refreshed.

We would like to thank TravelChinaGuide for a fantastic trip. This was our first overseas trip as a family and it was an absolute blast! Our 3 kids (age 11,8,6) loved it and we still talk about something from our holiday each day.

Our consultant, Linda Jing, who from the very first email, was prompt in answering any questions we had and bouncing ideas back and forth. We had extended our stay by 2 days, so we could visit Shanghai Disneyland (not part of the tour). The organising was done and we stayed in the same hotel, so not moving hotels was a bonus. We had nothing to worry about.

Thank you for your planning to ensure our trip went off without a hitch!

We travelled to Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and Shanghai. All of our guides collected us at each airport, train station or hotel. They offered us extra activities to do such as a theatre show or where to shop and the best place to grab something to eat. We appreciated any tips of places to visit after our day touring was complete for us to explore the city on our own.

We were especially thankful that all of our guides would accompany us as far as they could to assist with the check-in process at the train stations or airport. This was very helpful, as 5 people and suitcases navigating through extremely busy terminal areas can be overwhelming!

Our hotels were comfortable, spacious, quiet and conveniently located. The included breakfast was great and there was plenty of choice. Our organised lunches were tasty, fantastic and at very nice restaurants.

Our guides - Angela in Beijing, Roger in Xian, Tony in Chengdu and Ruby in Shanghai were all very knowledgeable and we loved hearing about the history and explanations about each city. All the guides were professional, courteous, passionate about China and a credit to your company.

Special mention to Angela, who became the 6th member (and a third parent) in our family, always stepping up to assist us when we required an adult to accompany one of our children on an activity, e.g. on the chairlift and toboggan at the Great Wall. Thanks Angela!

Overall, we had an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed our time in China. The organising by TravelChinaGuide was exceptional and I would recommend you to any other travellers.

Thank you for your services!

Our 15 day private tour of China exceeded our expectations. A major concern we had was my wife’s food allergies. All the guides on our tour were exceptionally helpful in assuring the restaurants and meals were compatible for my wife.

We saw every major attraction we had been anticipating plus much more. The guides helped personalize our tour in each location and we were able to see many things beyond those listed in the itinerary.

Every guide we had (Ruby, Brian, Jackie, Kiera, QiuyanLi and Cecilia) were professional, informative, organized and very helpful with all our needs. We learned much about China that we never knew.

The accommodations and meals were superb and the travel was well coordinated between each city.

Our contacts (Selina and Cindy) with the Travel China Guide office in Xi’an were very responsive and informative. Their advice for travelling in China was very helpful.

I highly recommend a private tour with Travel China Guide to maximize your time in China and to provide comfortable accommodations and ease of travel.

Our group consisted of 7 people from three different nationalities, but we joined together immediately and developed a sense of camaradeiery that was great.
-In Beijing, a lot of time was spent in traffic jams, so less time was available for the spots. I think that visit to the Great Wall should be moved to 3-4 p.m, when most of the people leave the wall, so one can get the impression of greatness there. It is not like that with hordes of people pushing around.
-Xi'an was such a highlight of a trip. Such a lovely place, so rich in history and events. Historical places, so impressive. Perfect organization, I do not think that anything could be done better. And the Tang dynasty show was great.
-Guilin, was not organized in a thoughtful way, but the Li river cruise and Yangshuo with the scenery and countryside were breathtaking. Visit to the farmhouse, memorable! The watershow I will never forget. And the location of the hotel and view on the hills and the valey can not get any better!
-Visit to Shanghai was very well organized and executed. It was efficient yet not in a hassle. But I wish we had some more time in the city.

Meals: Excellent. There was a slight drop in quality at the two breakfasts in the hotel in Xi'an, compared to everything else, but it really didn't matter. Service perfect, can not be better, staff helpful. The most impressive environment of the restaurants were in Beijing, absolutely impressive. It is difficult to choose one meal, I will suggest three:

For dinning out - Tang dinner show
For special occassions -Beijing duck lunch in Beijing
For family getting together - lunch at Miss Shi's apartment

-Linda: She was our first guide, on our arrival to China. Very polite, nice and fun, with her intent to interpret everything in a budist doctrine which was very interesting and offered a glimpse in a mental approach of Chinese people. But it was her duty to introduce us to the historical development of China, to stress Chinese historical milestones and achievements which she missed to do. She gave us information in regard to the visiting sites, but we did not know where to place it since we misses the consistency part.
-Celine, full of knowledge, very nice, talkative, good guide in every sense of the word. Her English: good.
-Frank, different from what you expect from guides, but very friendly and fun to be with. I enjoyed his company. His English o.k.
-Charlie: he is probably the most efficient of all guides we had, with all the necessary knowledge, with all the helpful information and with answer to every question. Very experienced and prompt. He would have been the best guide if he wasn't distant and not very friendly, we felt like a burden to him. Best English, so far.
-Drivers and car: nice, discrete, clean vehicles. One comment: It would have been nice touch if the water they were giving us on those hot, hot days was from hand fridge, not warm like tea.
-Hotels: Superb!!!

I will categorize my feedback.

BEIJING
The meals in Beijing were probably the best especially the Peking roast duck that was something we really wanted to try when we were in China and it didn't disappoint us. The duck was delicious and literally melted in the mouth. Due to our ignorance, we had to be shown by the restaurant personal how to eat it Beijing style which was great. Kevin the guide had pre ordered it for us and we were appreciative of this gesture. We were very surprised at the type of restaurants where we had our lunches. We had not expected good restaurants because of the stories we got from our friends who had been to the country with other groups so we were pleasantly surprised how classy the restaurants were when we arrived. The other great thing was that we were given the menu to choose the dishes that we liked and we told Kevin that we would be happy to pay the difference in prices if we ordered outside the given budget. He was very agreeable with the arrangement and we were more than happy to be able to order some dishes that we wanted to try.
Kevin was a very pleasant young man and he got along well with us. He spoke good English and we trusted his knowledge of the places we visited and the accuracy of his narration. He was easy to talk to and happy to answer all our questions. We were curious about everything, needing to know every detail of the buildings and the history behind it. He was very patient.
The driver Mr. Wang was very thoughtful. His car was professionally equipped with drink bottles always in the back seat slot just like the ones we hired when we were in LA. This kind of service we had not expected in China so we were very impressed. We were so happy with the service team that we decided to tip them more than the recommended amount at the end of our stay. It was good to meet such kind and considerate people on our first visit.

XIAN
Thank you Abbey for taking the time to come and meet us at the restaurant. It was nice to finally meet the person who had helped to organize this tour so respectfully and efficiently. And thank you for the gifts.
The restaurants continued to impress us and the food was good. We were given the menu and we tended to order too much. When we asked Jackie the guide for some advice as to what was good, he said every dish was good so we had to follow his advice and overeat. It was funny!!
Jackie had adequate knowledge about the various exhibits and we were quite satisfied with his performance. He allowed us time to see the exhibits on our own at the museum which was good because we could stroll around and took our time to view the different exhibits without feeling that we had to hurry. He was a quiet person but did his best to do a good job.
The guide was very professional when he gave us the feedback form to complete. He provided us with an envelope and allowed us to complete it without him being present. He also told us to seal the envelope and signed over the flap after we sealed it. I think this is the correct way and I respect him for it.

SHANGHAI
Emma spoke very good English but her knowledge might be somehow lacking in factual information. However she had nice stories to tell related to some of the things we saw and that made it interesting. She was quite friendly. The driver and car were alright.
In fact it was wonderful to meet all those people involved in our trip and everyone of them did a really good job. They were always polite and happy to meet our requests. I would like to emphasize that we had a great time thanks to the caring attitude of all your staff.
We enjoyed listening to the musical instruments played at the Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show. Every aspect of the trip was memorable. There is so much history and the historical sites are unbelievable. The Terracotta Warriors was an amazing sight.

We'd be happy to take some time and write our tour review. To begin with, the MEALS were truly one of our favorite parts about the trip! The food we ate was delicious and always filling. In fact, it was so good that often times we would over eat even when we weren't hungry! The environment and service of the restaurants were excellent. The guides were exceptional. We want to acknowledge them by western name: Candy in Beijing, Tracy in Xi'an, Linda in Guilin; Sally in Yichang, Ryan in Shanghai. They were the friendliest, most knowledgeable people we met in China. The trip hinges upon who helps you at the airport, hotels, transfers, meals, and the many excursions and sites we visited were chosen well. I would urge those that follow us to be assigned to the ones listed. Every guide was extremely friendly while maintaining their professionalism. What a pleasure to be in their company! Each one always provided us with the perfect amount of information about the sites we saw without getting in the way of our time to absorb what we were seeing. You employ exceptional people. The drivers were great. Very friendly and professional. They all kept their cars very clean and it was a pleasure to be their passengers. Best of all is we felt safe the entire time we were with them. Not once did we doubt the driver's abilities or experience. The hotels we stayed in were all good. No complaints. Good selections. Again we'd like to point out the exceptional guides. These people really made the trip more enjoyable and we feel like they were not only our guides, but our friends. They are wonderful people and we're grateful to have met them. Thank you for our memorable trip. We will be certain to recommend your company to any who plan a trip to China.

We loved our tour with Travel China Guide and we were very impressed with the service.

We started our tour in Beijing and then caught the high speed train to Shanghai and Travel China Guide was with us every step of the the way. They picked us up from the airport in Beijing, organised our train tickets, got us to the train station and picked us up at the other end in Shanghai.

Linda was our guide for Beijing and she was absolutely lovely. She was happy and bubbly and her English was excellent. Linda was super knowledgeable about all the sites we visited. She repeatedly went above and beyond for us taking photos and even rescuing my hat when I lost it on the luge at the Great Wall. Anyone who has Linda as their guide in Beijing should consider themselves very lucky.

For the Shanghai leg of our tour we had Jeff. Again his English was excellent and again we were super impressed with his wealth of knowledge. I don't think there would be a single person who knows more about modern day Shanghai or the history of the city. Again, Jeff went above and beyond making sure we saw and did everything on our wish list. We asked him to help us buy some tea and we ended up having the most amazing tea tasting experience!!

Jeff was tasked with collecting us from the Shanghai train station which is absolutely massive. We had a brief hiccough where we were waiting at gate 1 while Jeff was waiting at North gate 1 but he and his driver soon tracked us down. Jeff was straight onto the Travel China Guide office to put a plan in place so this could not happen to future travels which we thought was very proactive and in keeping with the the companies dedication to providing their clients with the best possible travel experience.

Emily at the office organised our trips for us, all of which was done very last minute and we made lost of changes so it was not the easiest booking to put together. Again, her English was excellent and she helped us sort a number of items by phone along the way. When our flight home was cancelled and we needed to change our airport pick up Travel China Guide was aware of the flight change even before we phoned them. They made it totally hassle free for us to arrange our new airport transfers.

The hotel in Beijing was nice and central and very clean and tidy. We especially loved our Shanghai hotel - Sunrise on the Bund - and really never wanted to leave. The breakfast at both hotels were excellent. A good mix of both European and Chinese breakfast foods with decent coffee.

Thank you Travel China Guide - you really contributed to this being a once in a life time trip!!