11-Day of China Dreams Tour

Sara,

Hi Candy,

Here comes the feedback on our recent China tour.

I have taken two other China tours with China Highlights in this same year with two other friends, for this trip, the most memorable is the scenery in the Guillin area. Although the Great Wall of China always thrills me.

Our guide Lele in Guillin is our favorite guide, he is agreeable, bright, enthusiastic and attentive. We had good drivers and none did anything I'd consider risky. They were polite and attentive.

As for hotels, Xian Skytel had the most comfortable beds and good breakfasts. But, the hotels in Guillin and Yangshuo were comfortable, friendly and very nice. I'd rate all three as very good. However, my favorite this trip was The Bund Hotel in Shanghai. The room was excellent, the location was great and the food was good. After not liking the hotel we had in Shanghai during my May trips, this was a great improvement.

I loved visiting Lele's friend, a lady who is a widow and lives in a traditional home. She seems eager to be welcoming and friendly and we get the chance to see a traditional farm/village home. There are many aspects similar to farm life in parts of America...and many differences. But, her warmth and kindness made the visit special.

Tips for future tourists visiting China in mid-October---Bring good shoes and expect to walk a lot. You do not need dressy clothing. Have layers because days can begin feeling cold and end up quite hot.

If you ask me whether I will recommend China Highlights to my friends, my answer would be --Of course! I have brought three friends on trips with you already. I'm a very happy customer.

Regards,

Sara

October 9, 2011 from United States

Elizabeth,

Dear Grace,

It was great to meet you too, really nice to put a face to the name on the emails :o) We're back to life as normal here in the UK which is a shame as we'd both prefer to be on holiday still in China!

Anyway, I have written some comments and answered the questions below. I also just wanted to say thanks once again for organizing us such a wonderful trip. We had a really great experience.

The tour exceeded our expectation. In the most part yes, however we would have preferred one less day visiting Xi'an (Wild Goose pagoda etc.) in favor of a day trip to the rice terraces as we prefer to see outstanding natural beauty. I think it would be good to offer customers the option to see the rice terraces - in England they are very iconic and always on nature programs, but we had no idea they were so close until we were actually in China.

As per the most memorable attraction we visited, it is really difficult to answer - would probably say the Terracotta Warriors (other really memorable attractions were the Great Wall, reed flute cave and seeing the beautiful scenery on the Li River cruise. Our guide Lily in Guilin was the most outstanding tour guide. She is very nice and friendly (although all guides were), knew when to engage with us and when to let us relax, easy to get along with, nothing too much trouble for Lily and she would go the extra mile (e.g. helping me to buy paintings, helping us at the post office), very flexible / professional and she still had a smile on her face when she collected us from the airport at about 11pm after our plane was delayed by three hours from Xi'an!

We did not at all feel pressured or coerced by any guides when completing the evaluation. In Beijing, we tipped the guide (but not the driver as we had two separate drivers over two days) and in Guilin we tipped the guide and driver because we felt they exceeded expectations.
In the most part, drivers provide a safe, comfortable experience. The best drivers/cars were the second driver in Beijing and the one in Guilin.

All hotels and meals were up to standard, some exceeded expectations. The breakfasts in Chinese hotels don't seem to cater that well to Western customers, but that wasn't a big issue as we came to China for Chinese food! The lunches were very good and we often had too much food! The lunches we enjoyed the most were McFound in Guilin, the lunch in Yangshuo (the place next to the hotel - can't remember the name) and the Seagull Palace in Shanghai. In many places we were only allowed one very small glass to drink which was not enough. A can would have been enough! Some places gave us a whole can which was better. The hotel we liked the best was by far the one in Yangshuo -the room was lovely, like a chalet, and was in a great location.

We didn't really go shopping, except in Yangshuo where you can't avoid it! I can't think of any off the top of my head, the attractions themselves gave us the wow factor! We did get to go in the VIP lounge at Guilin airport on our way to Shanghai which was unexpected and a nice treat :o)

As per general travel tips, do not miss the cycling in Yangshuo! That was a fabulous experience...making your way through the bustling city on a bike (which took some courage!) then getting out into the beautiful countryside to cycle amongst the stunning Karst peaks.
Our trip to China was fantastic. We had a good feeling right from the start when we exchanged emails with Grace as nothing was too much trouble and we were able to tailor a trip which suited our needs exactly. Everything went very smoothly when we were out in China, the guides were incredibly helpful and the country itself is beautiful. Have already started recommending China and China Highlights to my friends!

I don't have the travel pictures with me on this computer but will share with you some when I get chance.

Best wishes,

Liz and Jamie

September 15, 2011 from United Kingdom

Kevin,

Hi Michael,

I added our feedback below. We will work on the review to post, but we haven't had a chance. We had a wonderful trip. So many great memories and experiences that it is hard to start. Thank you for a great job coordinating the trip for us!!!

In the end we booked a little too much and should have taken more time to relax, but based upon what we wanted, the tour was great and had a variety of different sites and activities.

Guilin in general cannot be missed. Between the Li River cruise and the Longji Rice Fields were incredible. Sarah, our tour guide in Shanghai was the most western and had a great sense of humor. Lily, the tour guide in Guilin worked her butt off and was with us every step of the way. She was super nice and helpful, especially when Tracy started to feel faint.

The meals were much better than we expected. There was not one in particular that stood out. The Zhujiajiao water village in Shanghai was really a nice surprise.

I definitely will recommend China Highlights. Michael did a wonderful job helping us set this up! We were very happy.

I definitely will recommend Guilin and Yangshuo. But be careful in Yangshuo at the Yangshuo Resort where the beds were too hard for western standards.

Thanks again,

Kevin

September 10, 2011 from United States

Madelyn,

Dear Delia,

I would like to thank Delia Xie for everything she did for us ... even though she was busy planning for her wedding (hope all went well and congratulations!). We have our own 'issues' that needed to be addressed and she was always willing to help. I felt like I could communicate with her like a friend. This trip was in honor of my birthday and my husband was not looking forward to it nearly as much as I was but we both came back in awe of your beautiful country. We went thinking it was the one and only time we would go but now we say we would like to go back again some day.

My husband and I both agree that this tour was perfect for us.

Last minute we added another day and did a day trip to the Longshen Rice Patties.  It was so beautiful that it exceeded my expectations for the Terra Cotta Warriors. I believe it was a tie between our guides Jing and Oscar. Jing was like our mother - she worried that everything was taken care of and that we were safe and happy. Oscar had a great 'imagination' and we had fun talking about Guilin. They all made themselves available, even on our free time. Our first driver was a bit fast and crazy and we thought all of the drivers would be like him but the others were more relaxing. All were quick to arrive and cheerful.

For our hotels, it is funny - the first hotel was very basic but gave us a real feeling of what it was like to live there. They offered a modest breakfast but, when they heard we don't eat meat, they made the effort to add a couple of vegetarian items for us. My husband was a bit nervous that they would all be that 'style' but each one was better and better and the food was fine. I have to admit that the one we arranged for in Shanghai was AMAZING but we would not have gone there had we not found an incredible price on-line.

Having private tour guides was priceless. We learned so much beyond the attractions. For us to learn about their lives and histories was very interesting and they made any worries we had about being in China go away. That extra care was a big 'wow' for me.

In a flash! We will recommend our company to our friends and colleagues!

I do have sone special suggestions to pass on to other travelers 1.) Bring really good shoes. Not for the exercise so much as constantly walking and standing. 2.) The acrobatics show in Guilin was amazing and not to be missed. We went to two other shows and this one was by far the most interesting and beautifully produced.

The CH cell phone worked great. it was very convenient - we texted our guide when our plane left late and were able to contact them if we had questions on our free time. We always had service, except when in remote areas (I think on the Li River Cruise and maybe the Great Wall).

Thank you Delia!

Madelyn

September 15, 2011 from United States

Diane,

Hi Grace,

The tour is the best but perhaps slightly more 'local' experience and slightly less 'big tourist attractions'.

The memorable attractions for us are the scooter ride from Guilin out to the countryside, visit farm house, spontaneous try our hand (spontaneous - the best!) helping farmers thresh rice, the 'Impression show' in Guilin, the Great Wall (on our own) and Tiananmen Square for its significance. We will suggest that scooter in the countryside outside of Yangshuo and Tai Chi in Beijing for other travelers.

The guides are all good. Kathy in Beijing (very personable, sharing of experiences, knowledgeable, energetic) and her driver (Mr. Ai), and Foster in Guilin (very personable, went above and beyond what we expected - very knowledgeable, very thoughtful, on top of everything, very much wanting to please).All drivers are very safe, very courteous. Guilin driver a bit slow - please note that I am a fast driver. Mr. Ai in Beijing is fantastic! Great driver, parked near every drop-off/pick-up, interacted with us, etc.

We stayed in China highlight-selected hotels in some of the cities - Guilin Bravo Hotel was the best of the 3 for room, service, common areas, amenities, location, etc. Meals were fine. Xian hotel was 'fine' to 'good' but not as good as Guilin - our room was in a back corner with a poor view- not the best location. Meal 1st day of tour in Xian (enroute back from Terra Cotta Warriors) was excellent. Yangshuo hotel made great initial impression, but details were not as good as you might expect for the setting, but location was great. We would rate it 'fine' to 'good' overall. Meals at hotel were 'ok', meal on Li River Boat terrible (thanks for the advanced warning!) meal in Longsheng good.

As per the shopping, we went a number of places on our own but didn't focus on shopping- probably Pearl Market Beijing, Tianzifang Shanghai.

The extra WOW factors to our tours are the guides, Kathy (Beijing) and Foster (Guilin), and driver Mr. Ai (Beijing), the Guilin Impression Show and the spontaneous moments that these two guides took to enrich our experience.

We will absolutely recommend your company for its value, very trustworthy, dependable, etc.

Diane

August 25, 2011 from United States