Testimonial

Dear Jean:

Thank you so much for your follow-up note. I have asked Linda/Jim Sommers to respond to you separately re Service Evaluation because each family will have its own opinion. As for the evaluation on the Beijing tour, as soon as Linda sends me the form via email, and after we two discuss on the phone, we will send you our collective comments.

The Sommers arrived at Oregon as scheduled on 10/22, while the Tses were delayed in Beijing for four hours and missed the connecting flight from Newark, NJ to Cincinnati, Ohio, and consequently they stayed overnight in Newark and did not return home until Friday morning 10/23. So you can see that we are still in the mode of recovering from jetlag. However, as you have been very conscientious about your work and we appreciate Chinahighlights business policy, we will answer your questions immediately.

As for the Beijing evaluation, Chen did not give us the forms until we were on our way to the airport. This was one of the surprises that we did not anticipate. Because of motion sickness, both Linda and I could not read or write in the car. I myself suffered from allergy because of the dust and the polluted air in Beijing, and developed sinus problems on the last day in Beijing. Owing to congestion, my head ached so much at the airport that we could not possibly concentrate to work on the evaluation. In Xian, when we met with Eric Yang the first night, he gave us the evaluation forms before we went into the hotel, which is a perfect practice, recommended to all your tour guides from now on. In this case, we can finish each part everyday when our memories are fresh and the paperwork is less tedious. We dutifully completed the form every night before we returned to our own rooms. You can understand that we have also worked seriously as model customers as we respect your practice and we know you rely on our feedback to improve your business.

Our comments are very candid and honest, and they are constructive opinions. We are happy about your service, and we will not hesitate to recommend to our friends who will need a customized English-speaking tour in China. My Chinese friends are waiting for my stories because some of us would like to go on an English -speaking tour with our American-born children, and customized tours are more desirable. However, there are areas that you need to improve to perfect your business.

The most memorable attractions we visited in this China tour are the Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing and the Terra Cotta Warriors, and Shaanxi Historical Museum in Xi’an (for those who are particularly interested in the Chinese history -- a gem, a world-class museum)

Eric Yang is a dream guide one can possibly ask for – attentive, informative, efficient, accommodative, courteous and easy going. He treats us as guests in China. At meal time, he would show us the menu and recommended some of the special dishes in that restaurant, and made sure we had enough food, came back to ask for opinion during lunch and gave us plenty of time to enjoy our meals and rest. He knew the local restaurants well and even if he changed locations of scheduled restaurants, he made sure that it was of equal quality to satisfy his customers.

He was patient enough not to rush us during sightseeing, and pointed out highlights in museums in addition to general introduction, so that we would learn more and not miss the essence of each visit. If he made changes of itinerary, he would explain so that we knew his choice was wise. He had good control of timing so that we would not spend too much time on one place and sacrifice the other to rush through.

He was helpful with our shopping in the Muslin Quarters as we were nervous about our safety; and he helped us exchange currency at Bank of China, next to Shaanxi  Historical Museum, to save time and energy.

He never complained about the long hours: waiting for three hours at Xian Airport because of our plane delay (which could be avoided if Cobing Chen did a thorough follow-up job about our whereabouts), and the extra hours on Tang Dance night (we finally successfully persuaded him to leave after our dumpling dinner because we felt confident enough that the driver could take care of us at the end of the show).

He is highly commendable, a star among your tour guides. He can be used as a trainer of your junior guides and should be promoted in due course.

The most terrible thing in the three star hotel in Xi’an was that they refused to offer currency exchange service by saying that they were running out of cash, when the Sommers requested to exchange for only US $50 at 5:30 PM at the counter. The hotel asked them to do it at the bank instead (when the bank was already closed?). We made some big purchases at the pottery factory, and the Sommers, after also giving the unexpected RMB 200 deposit, was short on cash that night. They could not afford a dinner if we were not with them! Their food was mediocre. Their services would depend on individuals.

Eastern Air Business Hotel – food and room were adequate. Their in-house Shanghai restaurant was a delight. Yet the request of RMB 300 deposit was outrageous. How can you expect people carrying hundreds of RMB on the last night of stay in China!

Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel – we ourselves suggested this hotel for our Beijing stay and highly recommend that it should be on your list when someone asks for courtyard hotels.

It is a hotel with its unique character, plenty to explore even about its décor and furniture; the staffs are friendly, warm and helpful; the internet service is free; guests receive gifts of courtyard postcards; location is convenient, and the alley is a reflection of the lives of common folks. If people are genuinely interested in courtyard living in Beijing, they will learn the real things by living here.

Their breakfast buffet is of different choices, varied on different days, and staffs are diligent to clear tables.

It is like staying in a friend’s house in Beijing, because we were treated again like guests. We checked out on the Sunday morning, and our luggage was safely stored in the Bar. After we returned to the hotel waiting for the pick-up to Airport in the early afternoon, we were invited to the Bar and served with tea.

The hotel did not ask for a deposit of RMB 200 or 300. A deposit of such a kind was a total surprise to us at the other two hotels.

We would like to recommend China highlights to our friends and colleagues, because of the hard work of your tour adviser, Jean, and your tour guide, Eric; and the sincerity of your company policy to seek customers’ opinions and improvement. However, there are rooms for improvement to reach perfection. But, we have suggestions which may be helpful for you:

Please give more guidance on shopping tips since dishonesty is generally practiced in China. Even when I have been to China for five times, and would be considered as a seasoned traveler and smart shopper, I felt I was cheated twice during this trip when I shopped: (1) at the pottery factory (According to the certificate which I read when I returned home, the origin of product, which was priced at RMB 900, is actually from Shenzhen instead of Chongde Handmade Pottery Factory. I might have paid ten times less of the price if I bought a fake one on a street. I could only now pretend to believe that what I bought was really handmade; (2) a book of the 2005 edition at the commercialized store next to Shaanxi Historical Museum, unmarked price but quoted for RMB200, refusing a receipt). Although your company cannot have any control over this kind of unethical practice, guidelines should be alerted. I have learned my lessons in a hard way.

I might want to respond to only one potential customer. Please give them my name and address as you had. I also like to continue receiving your newsletter. My husband is retiring in one year or so. We are planning for more trips to China by one province at one time. You might be able to help us or my friends in the future. So keep us informed of your programs. When our photos are ready, we might send you some. Jean may have a chance to know four of us then.

We hope the comments from the Tses would be of some value to the improvement of your future performance. We had a magnificent time in China. Even though I myself have visited Beijing two times and Xian three times now, I feel that I have learned something new and experienced something different. We love China and the people. We regard Jean, Cobing and Eric as young intelligent individuals, who will grow in their professional career in their respective ways. As mentioned before, we would like to have a candid and honest approach to look at the whole matter, and we are sure that your upper management has the wisdom to determine how to perfect your business. Our very best to all!

Sincerely,

(Jolie) Shiu Fong and Hing Cheung TSE

Sunny,

We were very happy with our trip.  Everything was well coordinated and all the tour guides were helpful, friendly and professional.  We especially liked Nancy in Beijing, Cindy in Xian and Lili in Guilin.

Our favorite attractions were the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Longman Grottoes, the Xian bike tour on the wall,  Guilin boat trip, Guilin minority village and Guilin bike ride (Everything in Guilin). Also, a great surprise was the hotel in Shanghai because of the rooftop bar (Hengsheng Penisula hotel).  Another small surprise was the Guilin 4 lake boat tour.

Cindy went out of her way to find us some medicine, and Lili helped us find a new battery for our camera

The breakfast buffets and lunches were all good,  especially the lunch at the Guilin minority village.

Only room for improvement: the train times for Souzhou left too much time to spend in Souzhou but the guide helped us get an earlier train.   Their was a lot of construction noise at the Hengsheng Penisula hotel.

We would gladly help in recommending your company to anyone else.   We can be contacted at this email address.

Thanks again.

Michael and Sharon

Dear Michael
 
My jacket has just arrived here – thank you very much for your help!
 
I would like to thank you especially for your “hard work” searching for a reasonable posting price. This is really an appreciated service for a forgetful customer !!!
 
Once again: We enjoyed very much our perfectly organised short trip to your country and therein especially our perfect guide&driver-crew.
We hope to get back to China and would certainly contact you again.
 
All the best to you and with my best regards,
 
Erich

Michael,

Thanks to your group of informative tour guides and outstanding drivers, we had a great time while visiting Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou, China. Although our schedule was a bit hectic, the tour guides and drivers were flexible to all of our needs. 

Jack/Jacky was very informative and helpful to our mother in trying to find her former home and her father's former high school in Shanghai. 

A suggestion for future tourists that have a similar itinerary like ours which include Suzhou and/or Hangzhou > forgo the silk factory tour in Shanghai. The silk factory/museum in Suzhou and Hangzhou were far more informative than Shanghai, especially since Suzhou is the capital of silk manufacturing and Hangzhou is the home of the National Silk Museum. The Shanghai gentleman paled in comparison to what we learned in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Linda was not only informative, but assertive, helpful to our mother, polite and happy, independent and always willing to change the schedule to accommodate our needs. Her vast knowledge about silk and of the silk factory, the two gardens and the grand canal were quite amazing and made our visit in Suzhou much more enjoyable. Honestly, we were spoiled with Linda.

The tour guide in Hangzhou was pleasant and informative, but was not assertive, not very talkative, spoke in a low voice and at times seemed uncertain of Hangzhou facts when unintentionally challenged by my sister's book knowledge of the area, even though she was born and raised in the area. She had the tendency to walk ahead of us at a fast pace, rather than hanging back and engaging in conversation with us. She was unable to provide us with any suggestions as far as recommending a local restaurant for a meal. She stated that 'they are all the same', not what a tourist wants to hear.

David was very informative, helpful to our mother and because of his passion for history, he provided us additional insights at each of the itinerary stops that we may not have ordinarily learned. David was very resourceful in obtaining last minute tickets to The Romance of the Song Dynasty and Impressions of West Lake, both performances which we really enjoyed. David and the driver (sorry, but I don't recall his name) were resourceful in assisting us in locating a store to purchase an additional piece of luggage (at a very good price) due to our over buying of silk products and souvenirs.

I cannot imagine touring the three cities without your able bodied and knowledgeable tour guides and drivers. My sister Janine found a great resource in you and China Highlights.

Thank you again for arranging for the flowers and the special green tea cake to celebrate our mother's birthday. She really enjoyed the outstanding treatment provided by your team of professionals.

Perry

 Dear Karen,

I have returned home safely, thanks for helping me traveling around China.

There were a couple that were particuarly memorable. If you ask me give the list, would be 1>Great Wall Hiking,  2) Terra Cotta Warriors 3) Temple of Heaven 4) Forbidden City, and 5) Summer Palace.

If a traveler was in Chongqing and had time, Dazu Grottoes was excellent. In fact I enjoyed the drive to Dazu very much. It provded me an opportunity to see people and sites other than in the larger cities. My least favorite was a visit to a 'bed' museum....this just seemed to be a visit to fill some time early in Chongqing. Except for the silk store, the market was a disappointment.

While a couple were not. Xiushui Street (Silk Market). It was scheduled for Sunday, 11 Oct. The silk store there was fine and I bought some items. There are probably others who would enjoy the several other floors in the building.....but I did not. It is not a major thing. I had been given a referral to another silk store from people who could assure me of the quality of the silk. The major consideration is buying quality.

However, all of my guides are attentive, flexible, knowledgable and focused on me enjoying my visit. Henry and Helena were outstanding, Sherry was good--very knowledgable. And

For the hotels, Sunworld and Eling Park were OK. My room at Bell Tower was small, cramped with cracks in the ceiling and the furniture was dirty.....though their service was good. Eling Park had the nicest and most spacious room. My room at the Sino-Swiss Hotel was dirty though again, service was good.

Overall I was very pleased with my trip, and the service I received. I am considering Inner Mongolia and Tibet in the future. If I do decide to go to either one, I would only use China Highlights....

 Regards,

Gary

Hi Eva

Thank you for your email. We are now back at home but suffering from the effects of jet lag. We had a marvellous holiday in China and we would like to thank you once again for organising our trip, without you we would not have had such a wonderful time. Your organisational skills and the professionalism of both your company and guides are exceptional.

I would like to recommend the following things:

Beijing - try to move away from the tourist places if possible, visit the lakes Quanhai and Houhai. Stop at one of the bars, sit on an outside sofa and watch the world go by.
Beijing - Walk around the hutongs to get the feel of the true Beijing.
Beijing - Bamboo Garden Hotel is a gem, a quiet oasis in such a very busy city. I have posted a review on Trip Advisor.Com.
Beijing - Must try Hutong Pizza, near Silver Ingot Bridge. The most delicious pizza ever.

Yangshuo - get out and see the rural villages especially Juixian. If you are not able to cycle then find a good guide. Get away from the normal tourist places and find the real China.
Yangshuo - Try roast duck at 7th Heaven Cafe - absolutely delicious.
Yangshuo - really nice snacks, including chips (French fries) at Kely's Cafe.
Yangshuo - Rosewood Inn, good hotel. I have posted a report on Trip Advisor.com
All the guides we had were excellent but we both admit that Katy our guide in Beijing was a truly delightful young lady. Apart from excellent English she is so nice that she brightens your day.

I would definitely recommend your company to anyone thinking of travelling to China.

Well, we had a wonderful time, the only problem being lost luggage in both directions by Air France (not your fault at all as we booked our own international flights). Fortunately, we reveived our luggage in Beijing later the same day in it took Air France 2 days to find the luggage on our return. All is well now.

Thank you once again for all your help and we will contact you if we decide to visit China again.
Regards to you and your colleagues.

Eunice & Brian

Dear Eva,

We arrived home from Hong Kong last evening, and I am delighted to have an opportunity to send feedback to you about our trip. I would not hesitate to recommend your company to friends and colleagues.I have also forwarded this e-mail to my sister, Susan , so that she can respond to you directly with her feedback. It was one of the most memorable trips I have ever taken, and it is my pleasure to tell you why.

First, I want to apologize to you directly for not having visited you in Guilin. When we arrived in Hong Kong, I called  you to leave my cell phone number for you. I know that you were celebrating the holiday, so I left the number with one of your colleagues to forward to you. I hope that you received my message. Later, when we were in Guilin, I had planned to call you, but with the very busy schedule, I failed to do so. Once we had left Guilin for the Li River cruise, our guide, Claire, mentioned the possibility of returning to Guilin the following day to visit with you. She encouraged this, but the two remaining activities on our itinerary, the bike ride and the cooking class were the two activities that we were most looking forward to, and we were reluctant to let go of either of them to add a trip to Guilin before our flight back to Hong Kong. To not return to Guilin was our decision in spite of Claire’s encouragement that we do so.  I sincerely hope that this decision has not caused offense to you. Your services as a travel advisor have been excellent, and we have valued them very much. Susan and I look forward to another trip to China when we can meet you personally.

We enjoyed the spectacular geography of Yunnan and Guilin, the parks we visited, and the museums and cultural centers that we toured, but the attractions that moved me most were our visits to the markets and small villages in Dali, Lijiang and Yangshuo. These visits gave us a look at “real” life in the countryside in modern China.

 Each of the tour guides was highly qualified, full of interesting information about the history and culture of their area, exceptionally attentive and reliable, warm, open and welcoming to us. Each of the guides was very solicitous of our particular interests and needs. Each had a good command of English. We enjoyed all of the guides, but I have to say that I enjoyed Claire the most. Her manner of speaking is soft and soothing; her command of English is excellent. She clearly likes her work and made an easy and comfortable rapport with us right away. We very much enjoyed her energy, enthusiasm and, most of all, her humor. She is a lovely young woman, and China Highlights is very fortunate to have her services.

Each of the hotels was up to standard. We liked the Landscape Hotel and the hotel in the Ancient Village of LIjiang very much with their traditional architecture and courtyards. The Guilin Bravo was quite luxurious with a great location in the city. The YWCA Garden View Hotel was a wonderful base in Hong Kong with a very comfortable rooms, spectacular views of the downtown and harbor, and proximity to the Peak tramway and botanic garden (and my son!). The service at each hotel was very good. I would say that all hotels were more than adequate; the hotel I enjoyed the least was the hotel in Kunming. While we have great sympathy for the need for energy conservation, we found the air conditioning and general lighting in the rooms in the New Era Hotel in Kunming, the Landscape and Lijiang hotels quite a challenge.

WOW factor: It will take me quite a while to assimilate all of the rich sights and experiences of this trip, the activities that I think of immediately as the most meaningful were those that engaged us such as the cooking class, the bike ride in the countryside in Yangshuo, the hikes at Jade Snow Mountain and Tiger Leaping Gorge, and, especially, the visits to the markets in each location. We were wowed to witness the spectacular growth and development in modern China in the form of new highways, airports and railways, and the restoration of ancient villages and parks.

Other comments: First, I wanted to mention (and thank you for) the very comfortable transportation that you provided for us. The vans were extremely comfortable. We were very, very impressed with each of the drivers, Mr. Feng, Mr. Li and Mr. Zhu (I hope that I have these names right.) Each was very safe and careful, always following the speed limit. The driving conditions, particularly on the trips to the Stone Forest, through the mountains to Tiger Leaping Gorge and from Dali to Lijiang, were to our American eyes, very difficult with narrow roads, traffic with vehicles of all types including bicycles and large trucks and busses. The drivers were a marvel, and we were always very comfortable. Secondly, the food on this tour was very good. The one restaurant that stood out above all was Kaiyi’s Kitchen in Dali. We returned there for dinner the same day. In each location, the guides recommended dinner restaurants that were wonderful and very economical. In a couple of cases, we very much appreciated the guides’ help in translating menus and pre-ordering food for us in restaurants where little English was spoken or an English menu was not available. The food was great!

I would be willing to speak with a potential customer. If you have someone with whom you would like me to speak, please call me or send me an email.

 During this trip, each day unfolded like clockwork. Every activity moved on schedule with a comfortable pace. Everything worked more smoothly than any tour I have ever taken. We were extremely impressed with all of the arrangements and the exceptional communication. You all can be very proud of the good work that you do to share China with visitors. We wish you continued success and look forward to another visit to China and to meeting you face-to-face in the future.

Sincerely,

Mary

Dear Michael,

Both guides Michelle in Chengdu and Echo in Xianwere excellent and the drivers were very good as well.  They were very knowledgeable and they were flexible to adjust the schedule to fit my personal needs.I certainly will recommend China Highlights to others.

The most impressive sights for me were the Pandas in Chengdu and the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum and City Wall in Xian.I have previously read and seen movies about these sights but, there is no substitute for visiting them in person.

Thanks for your outstanding service.

Best regards,

Edward

Sunny,
 
I am leaving China today, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you and your staff for an outstanding trip. Your help in planning the trip was wonderful, but I didn't quite expect the high level of professionalism, courteousness, timeliness, and genuine interest by all of your staff in each of the four cities I visited. Traveling alone in a country with no ability to speak the foreign language can be very stressful. However, you team made sure I was attended to at all times, and as a result I truly was able to enjoy visiting your wonderful country.
 
I will certainly recommend China Highlights to my colleagues within Merck, and to my personal friends as well. Keep up the good work!
 
Alan

Hi Candy,

Now that we are back and somewhat rested I thought I would let you know how things went.

First let me say your company does a great job, the only suggestion I have is your descriptions should be a little more informative as  to the amount of walking and climbing involved at each venue, so people can decide if it is going to be to much for them and choose something else a perfect example is the Forbidden City.

Now to the guides, the guides we had in Qingdao and Dailan were very good but our guide in Beijing Betty was a standout she was well informed, great personality, and very helpful in all areas, in the restaurants she stayed on top of the servers and made sure everything was as it should be and even was able to get us private rooms in many since we don't like smelling smoke while were eating, she was very helpful negotiating prices with the merchants we dealt with and made sure we were always able to use Western style bathrooms she is a great asset to your company, even walked us into the airport and helped us check in for our flight while helping with all our bags. We were very pleased with Long Long last year in Shanghai but Betty was the best by far, and all our drivers was very good also.

Thanks again to your company for making our China experience a great one.

Jerry and Jeanie