Testimonial

Hi Jean,

To begin with, my wife and I enjoyed our trip to China and Hong Kong. I am glad to feedback the tour in a little different order then you asked.

Regarding the guides.  They all did a nice job.  The two best (doing a great job) was Thunker in Beijing and Mary in Hong Kong.  I add Mary even though she was only with us for 1/2 day since she was really teriffic.  Very talkative with excellent information about the history, growth , shopping and landmarks of Hong Kong.  Even on the ride to the airport as we were leaving she kept up her 'guide talk' to make the ride interesting.

One comment regarding the guides is  that  each guide handed us the evaluation and then we gave them back to the guide.  I suggest if you want a real true evaluation, you include a self addressed/stamped envelope so we can complete them and mail them to you directly confidentially.  It is difficult to be 'honest' when you give it back to the guide and he can look at it in front of you. 

After a trip of this type, all sights kind of blurr together.  However, the most memorable were the terra cotta soldiers in Xian.

Some lunches were below expectations and the one I enjoyed was the one in Xian (should be Dawancheng) on the way back from the terra cotta soldiers.  This restaurant was clean, the atmosphere nice, service good and food tasty hot with good variety.

As far as I was concerned, the 'wow' factor to me was that in every city, the guides were at the airports when we landed and easy to locate.  They were always on time to pick us up and were flexible to our schedule.  And, did a good job getting us into the airports as we were leaving including taking us right to the security gate before we left.  Since we were traveling alone and not with a group, that was one of my biggest concerns and you definitely came through 100%.

 Please leave me on your email list for future information.  I would recommend your company to others but I will tell them that they need to have you address the recommendations I made above.  

Thank you for all your help with our plans.  You were a pleasure to work with on this trip.

Dear Sissi,

I had the msot amazing time in Tibet. Sorry for the late response. However, I also traveled to Nepal and Bhutan after my trip to Tibet and didn't get home until ealry October. I then had to return to work. Therefore, I couldn't repond until now.

The service your agency provided was impeccable. I felt most welcomed in Tibet. If I have the opportunity to travel to China again, I will definitely use your service.

The most memorable attraction was being able to see the Cham dance performance by the monks in Tushilunpo Moastery in Shiagtse.

My Tibetan tour guide, Tsedor, was the most outstanding tour guide I've ever had. He was very courteous and accommodating. He knows what I'm interested in even when I didn't have to tell him. He knows that I'm interested in religious performances so at Tushilunpo Monastery, he let me know that there was a Cham dance performance there that day because the Panchen Lama happened to be visiting the monastery, so I was able to see the perofrmance. In Lhasa, he let me know that there was another Tibetan dance performance at a hotel. Even though this was not scheduled in my itinerary, he used his own time to take me there for the performance.

All the hotels were fine. I particulary enjoyed the meals and the hospitality at Kyichu Hotel in Lhasa.

The scenery in Tibet was spectacular. Yamdrok-tso Lake was very awe-inspiring. There was also a glaceir that I visited that was a WOW factor. However, I don't remember the name of the glacier.

Most definitely, I will recommend your company to my friends and colleague.

Tat Shing

Dear Delia,

In all honesty this is too hard for us listing the most memorable attraction we visited. We asked ourselves about highlights while we were still in Shanghai and there were so many – food, the people, the history. For me the most memorable was I think, Xidi, and the water ox wallowing in the mud – odd but so every day. Yellow mountain was incredible but staying overnight  could be missed.

All the guides were great, as were the drivers, but probably Jenny. Her understanding of the nuances in English was unexpected and made for some good conversations.

The hotels and meals were all different and had pros and cons.  Overall they were what we expected. The only comment would be the last hotel in Shanghai, the construction site next was noisy.

The WOW factor to our tours is the care and organization. We felt special and wanted.

Absolutely. We will recommend our company to your friends or colleagues. It made our trip out of Shanghai easy.  I also liked the way you managed our requirements with a tour.

The toilets were certainly not as bad as we were led to  believe.  I was impressed with the availability of public toilets in Shanghai.  I would remind tourists to take tissues and hand wipes – we did so it wasn’t a problem.  The lunches were amazing but often there was too much food.  For us the local places were the best rather than the more fancy places in Shanghai.  The overnight train was fine but I would suggest that others buy all four berths. The compartment is pretty small.

We both found the people really friendly and helpful even if they didn’t speak English.  China is an amazing and complex country. We will be back.

Happy to be a  previous customer and speak with your potential customers who would like to.

Thanks!

Vanessa

Dear Virginia,

Thank you for all your help. We had a great time in Beijing.

Hutong Area and ride in Pedi cab was the most memorable. I love visiting the older neighborhoods of Beijing. I feel most big cities are not as interesting as the original smaller areas. I would recommend other visotors visit the older areas and do not focus as much on the “touristy” places. Travelling to small villages and markets might get more surprise.

For the meals, I PREFERRED LUNCH IN THE Courtyard 7…FOOD WAS MORE INTERESTING. 

Lastly, i would recommend Sandra to everyone would like to take Beijing tour. She was very knowledgeable, thoughtful, courteous and kind! And i would ABSOLUTELY(!!!!) recommend China Highlights to my friends or colleagues.

Thank you again for all.

All the best...

Jean Rouda

Michael,

Just to thank you in helping me plan the trip to Beijing.

I am back from the trip in India and I had an absolutely wonderful time at Beijing. Also wanted to convey my appreciation for katie's efforts - she is a very sincere, committed and hardworking tour guide.

Regards,

Ronita

Jean,

Thank you for booking the tour for us. We had a nice time and Lucia was great!

I look forward to my next trip to china.

Mll

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