Testimonial

Karen,
We all had a great time. Forbidden City impressed us most. All of your guides were attentive and professional, especially, Beijing And Xian - Beijing was very informative and interesting and Xian - same, but English was better. Hotels were up to the standard, Carolyn and i thought Crowne Plaza Beijing is the best, while James and Pat prefered Sofitel in Xian, we are different taste. For your information, we enjoyed the Good restaurants, but would have enjoyed more "local neighborhood restaurants. The one we did eat in had the Best food. Based on above, we will definitely return, and see more of your great country and friendly people.
Thanks again, Frank

China Highlights,
Last September, our group of seven toured your country using China Highlights to plan and facilitate our itinerary. At the end we all agreed this was probably the most enjoyable and educational trip any of us had ever experienced and that China Highlights was the key to the trip’s success. This is is no small compliment, since the people in our group have lived in or visited virtually every continent and a wide variety of countries. This trip was atypical in that we’re experienced travelers usually, finding our own way as we go. However we all agree that we would never, on our own, have been able to accomplish what China Highlights made possible on this trip. Being a relatively small group, we knew we could move quickly and in our enthusiasm almost planned too much. However, China Highlights made everything work. The plane and train reservations made in advance, saved us much time and trouble. The pre-booked hotels were all high quality and ready for us whennwe arrived. The restaurant selections at every destination were excellent in quality and price. We visited all the “must see” tourist attractions, but also went far off the regular routes and discovered things we never dreamed possible. We simply could not have done all this without you. A major factor contributing to the success of this trip were your guides. They all knew how to move our group to destinations swiftly and smoothly. They looked out for us, steered us in the right directions and were veritable fountains of information. They all spoke English, some very well, and knew their areas inside out. We actually became “friends” with some of them and now correspond regularly via the internet. Their enthusiasm, friendliness and guidance greatly enhanced our knowledgs of China and appreciation of China Highlights. Last but certainly not least were your costs. They were most reasonable compared to your competition and, considering the high level of accomodations and service, they could only be called superb value. Bottom line, we all recommend China Highights to anyone who plans to visit your country.Your planning and service were absolutely first rate from beginning to end. If you want to use this letter as a reference, or direct prospective customers to contact us for a reference, feel free to do so. You gave us an excellent vacation, and we’ll give you an excellent recommendation. Sincerely, Patrick Devine PS For your reference, our trip took place from September, 15 through September, 27 and was booked under the name Regina Schroeder.

China Highlights,
On December 15, 2008, I wrote a letter complimenting you on the wonderful trip you organized and facilitated for myself and a group of six fellow travelers last September. In that letter I said a major factor contributing to the success of the trip were your guides. There is one in particular that deserves special mention. Her first name is Jingjing , I believe her last name is Zang, and her English chosen name is Betty. Jingjing was our guide for three days in Beijing and her service to us went far beyond “excellent.” By that I mean not only did she execute the required responsibilities of her job, such as taking us to all the the places on the itinerary, keeping us on schedule, making all arrangements for restaurants, buses, taxis and airplanes and explaining thoroughly everything that we were seeing and experiencing; she did them so well that everything went smoother and more enjoyably than we could ever have imagined. In addition, she also went out of her way on many ocassions to make us feel more comfortable in what was, for us, a decidedly foreign environment. For example, she helped some of the older women in our group with their heavy luggage; and lent them a hand when walking up and down steep stairs. She kept close track of us at all times and kept our attention with engaging conversation throughout her part of our journey. While she said she had studied English in school, her explanations of the historical background of our tour was so thorough, I thought her major was history, not English! While all this makes her a guide par excellance, her most thoughtful act, the one that puts her over the top, came weeks later. While at the panjiayuan market in Beijing I purchased a painting that I subsequently lost several days later in the Chendu airport. Weeks later one of our party mentioned this to Jingjing during a telephone conversation and Jing offered to search for a copy if I could give her directions to the place where I had found the painting. We exchanged several E-mails during which I gave her directions as best as I could remember. Jing later sent me an E-mail with photos of several paintings (one was a copy of the one I had lost) and the young woman who had sold it to me! She found the place, the painting and the seller! What are the odds of that? But the story gets even better. Jing purchased the painting, had it wrapped, insured and shipped to me in Houston! And although I’ve tried several time to repay her, she won’t accept anything! She refuses to take any payment or give me her address so I can thank her properly. (Don’t worry, I’ll find a way.) She says her “only purpose is to make up some regrets that I have for my visit to China.” I’ve told this story to many people here in Texas and they are all flabbergasted. They all tell me I’m a very lucky guy. And I agree. I don’t know if Jingjing works directly for China Highlights but if she doesn’t and I were you, I’d offer her full-time employment. She’s the best ambassador you’ll ever have. Because of the success of our trip and Jing, I’ve recommended China Highlights to several people who are considering visiting your country. Sincerely, Patrick Devine PS For your reference, our trip took place from September 15 through September 27 and was booked under the name Regina Schroeder.

This will be my third letter complimenting you on the wonderful trip you organized for the Schroeder group last September. This one concerns the young female guide who accompained us through the Zhangjiajie park area. I am unable to write her Chinese name, but Her anglo name is Venus Long. From the moment we rolled our bags into the airport parking lot we knew Venus would take good care of us. She jumped right in, grabbed the heaviest pieces of luggage and carried them to our bus. Once on the bus she officially greeted us by saying she wanted to be our friend. From then on Venus ran the smoothest and friendliest of operations, making sure we visited all the right places and saw all the right things, mothering us all the way. Two of our number had injured knees and one a painful hip. Venus helped them throughout the entire trip, making sure they were comfortable and created easier ways to reach our destinations when necessary. And that was often, as we did a great deal of walking. Venus was not only an excellent guide, executing her responsibilities professionally and effeciently, but she also gave us close insight into the local customs, especially the musical nature of the minority groups in the area. She involved us in the singing traditions and even serenaded us to and from the airport, to which we responded “Yooooooie!” Being with Venus made our trip much more enjoyable and memorable. And in the end she accomplished what she set out to do at the beginning: she became our friend. We correspond with her regularly via E-mail. It’s nice to have a friend in China! If Venus doesn’t work directly for China Highlights I’d recommend hiring her full-time. She’s a great asset for you. The success of our trip and Venus are two reasons, I’ve recommended China Highlights to people considering visiting your country. Sincerely, Patrick Devine PS For your reference, our trip took place from September 15 through September 27 and was booked under the name Regina Schroeder. PPS Feel free to use this letter as a reference on your website.

Dear Eva
You was easy to get in touch with and definately lisened to our likes and dislikes and organised our tour accordingly. That is a hard one to answer - for me the Great Wall was amazing - I am now a warrior, the Terracotta Warrior beyond ones imagination, the Shoalin Monks Show truely inspiring, the Hanging monestry is a world wonder, and the Mona Lisa of China ie The Jade Buddha words escape me The questions just get harder - this is a toss up between , Anna in Datong, Pan in Shanghai - oops thats 2 out of five do i have to choose -as Vivienne in Beijing and Louise in Xian were not too far behind them - their wealth of information and eagerness to help was outstanding and there understanding of travelling with a young baby just marvellous - considering none of them are parents themselves - would have loved to spend more time with Pan in Shanghai as his sence of humour was very similar to mums and mine - he celebrated mums birthday with us - thanks for the cake , Anna went out of her way on one occasion doing two tours of the Hanging Monestry so one of us could stay in a warm place with Brock (which she seeked out) she also seeked out a place out of the wind for him at the Grottoes, Louise was a pure gentleman always helping at stairs etc and adjusted our tour so as to make the days even paced. Mr Wong ( the Driver) and Vivienne were easy to get along with even with the language barrier with Mr Wong we managed to include each other. Your company organised two hotels for us one in Datong and the other in Louyang - Datong Garden Hotel get top marks the service was outstanding, ability to overcome language barrier great - restaurant food was very good - and Kelly in the restaurant was like a shining light - top marks to her. Room service went the extra mile coming up to us to take the order to overcome the language barrier. Louyang Accomodation was not as good though, the lack of ability to communicate was a bit of a problem, the mini bar was completely empty on our arrival and getting room service a bit of a chore - the breakfast on our first morning was cold - i informed the staff the food warmer light were out they did nothing about it, their was only one type of cereal and no fresh fruit, we thought it may have been due to the time of the day that we arriver so the next day we came down earlier, it was a bit better but not to the standard of other hotels we had stayed in (Peony Hotel ) Lunches were all of a high standard - top marks - In Beijing Novotel there was a tour of Australian Travel Agent Students whom we got talking to and have handed your business card to as we explaned the trouble we had had organising our trip with Australian based company - hopefully they will keep you in mind. Otherwise will be spreading the word of the great job done by all - Eva was easy to get in touch with and definately lisened to our likes and dislikes and organised our tour accordingly i would like to make the note that if travelling with a baby try to avoid train travel where possible - it was a bid daunting struggling with the crowds getting of at Xian - though very comforting to see our guide LEE LEE (?) waiting for us on the platform at Louyang. Also in Beijing we had a standard car as a vehicle whereas everywhere else we had a van the van is much more suitable for travelling with a baby. The trip to the great wall was long we knew it would be but very windy road on the way there - which made mum very ill - yet a straight road on the way back - suggest the straighter road for those whom suffer from travel sickness - though the windy road did go through some great country side and small vilages which i enjoyed Although some travel guides gave information on climate in the next city - it needs to be more thorough - ie going into minus degree.
Tracy, Oriel & Brock

Hello Michael,
We are safely home. We agreed that the Great Wall was the most memorable attraction we visited. Our tour guide in Beijing was excellent, helpful and most accommodating. I have a strict diet and he found an excellent restaurant with great food. When we forgot our camera, he brought alone his own and took wonderful pictures. I definitely will recommend your company to my friends or colleagues. My sister is a travel agent in Florida and I highly recommended your company to her soon after we arrived back home. We especially enjoyed the Art Museum. Our guide indicated that the museum was not a common stop for most tours. The Zoo and pandas were a special treat which we enjoyed more than we expected. My husband and I are very busy with our work and outside commitments. We seldom take outside telephone calls. However, we did especially enjoy your guide and, if done in a very limited way, would be willing to provide our recommendation. I would be happy to provide a reference to your potential customers. I would prefer contact by email.
Sincerely,
Chantal Rose Forger

Dear Ms. Sunny Xie,
Thank you for your Email, asking for my evaluation of my recent tour with China Highlights. I can best summarize the experience by mentioning three things:
1. As you know, this was a 'personal tour' that you helped me plan. I was not with a group, but all by myself. I give China Highlights very high marks for all the arrangements. I received excellent information before the tour began. Then, on the tour itself, every arrangement was well executed: the guide met me at every change of city, took me exactly to the places outlined in the tour program, made any adjustments I asked for. Your planning and 'delivery' on every part of the tour was outstanding.
2. The guides were well informed on almost all phases of the tour. I have this general suggestion in regard to COMMUNICATION: speech and public speaking happens to be my field. Most of the guides were reasonably proficient in English, but were not always understandable because of their accent or pronunciation. I would suggest that guides adopt a '25% x 3'.rule. It's very simple: 1) Speak 25% LOUDER than you usually do, 2) speak 25% SLOWER than you usually do, 3) OVER- PRONOUNCE your words 25% more than you usually do. If they do that, they will be more easily understood.
3. It would have been a great help if your printed information prior to my tour included specific information and suggestion in regard to TIPPING. The Victoria cruise on the Yangtze gave us printed suggestions in this regard which was very helpful. Some of the information I culled from the Internet said that tipping is not customary in China. When I spent two or three days with a good guide, I wanted to show my appreciation financially, but was clueless in regard to customs in China.
Larry Christenson

Hello Michael,
Our group is safely home and now recovering from the jet lag. It will take a few days, I think! We all agreed that our China holiday was fantastic and our Guilin-Yangshuo tour with Lily was the highlight. It would be hard to pick the most memorable attraction we visited. The Reed Flute Caves, the Li River cruise and the Impressions show all rank high on our list of most memorable experiences. We also very much enjoyed the village tour and visit with one of the residents. The art gallery was also a delight and three of us bought art work as mementos of our trip. Lily was a true professional in every way and added so much to our stay. She was knowledgeable and informative and had a great sense of humour. She was patient with our group and strove to meet all of our needs. I would highly recommend her! The hotels and meals we enjoyed were top notch. The Sheraton in Guilin was superb and the Paradesa in Yangshuo was a tranquil oasis. Our evening meal at McFound's was delicious, varied and plentiful. It was great to have Lily order for us and to enjoy the regional specialties. Our only regret was the lack of time in Guilin. Our late arrival on the first day shortened our stay there and it would have been nice to have more time just to walk around and enjoy the ambiance of this beautiful city. We would highly recommend China Highlights to friends and family. All our dealings with the company were efficient, professional and cordial.
Sincerely, Lesley

Dear Eva,
We have settled back into our normal lives after our fabulous China trip just before the Olympic Games. Our young guides in Shanghai and Chongqing where a pleasure to travel with as they were very knowledgeable on the districts we travelled through and freely gave us information about topics we were interested in such as the private lives of typical Chinese people. The Yangtze River Cruise and the Terracotta Warriors at Xian were highlights of our trip. Thank you for your efforts to get us on the ship going up the Yangtze: we really appreciated the luxury and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. As you are aware the three families in our group were all parents of Australian Olympic swimmers and the trip was just the tonic we needed before facing the stress of watching our children competing at the Games. So once again thanks for providing us with a fantastic China experience.
Mark & Colette Rickard

Dear Jay
I think that just sitting on the boat and enjoying the scenery of the Three Gorges was the most memorable attraction I visit. All the meals there were good.I would definitely recommend your company to my friends or colleges. Actually with two kids,I found the schedule of the tour almost perfect with morning excursions and free time in the afternoon while the boat sailed.
Thanks.
Carey Xavier Dilliott

Dear Jay
Thank you very much for a wonderful 5 day tour of china that you arranged for Judi and I. If you happen to have Vivian and Echo's email address , I would like to thank them again. They were both fantastic. Echo is brilliant in knowledge and history. Hang on to both of them. A +.
Thanks again
Monika Nelson

Dear Sunny.
We have just gotten back from our visit to China. I want to thank you for arranging a wonderful tour of your country. Everything went like clockwork with no problems. The guides were all excellent and efficient. We enjoyed meeting them. The drivers were all friendly and competent. The sites were spectacular. The highlights were the visit to Shengyang that was considerably more interesting than we expected, Xi'an, the Grottos in Datong and the beauty of Guilin. The hotels were well chosen. Our favorite was HOMA in Guilin (the excellence of the art around this hotel would warrant a visit even if we did not stay there) and the second favorite was the Garden hotel in Gatong but there were no bad hotels. The lunches were excellent except for those in Hangzhou that were not in the same class as the other cities. Your efficiency is now legend amongst our friends. We have recommended you to all of our friends who plan to visit China. I know of two groups from the Beijing Convention that have already contacted your office and arranged tours for their free time in Beijing or further afield in China. Both were satisfied when we last spoke to them. We will definitely contact you again when we travel to China in the future.
Best wishes,
Scott Haldeman