Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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China family adventure, independent reviews
 Reviewed 30 Mar 2008 by Karen Jennings |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The trip to the local market in Yangshou, the bike ride through the country side and of course the terracotta soldiers and the Great Wall. The guides in each city were excellent, and the group guide Lucy was just tremendous - excellent ambassador for both the tour operator and China! The kids really enjoyed it and got to see some things that exposed them how other people live just to survive.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Travel light, partake in as many of the activities as possible and take all of the opportunities to experience the real China. The local currency amount is per person and this was not clear in the joining instructions and meant that we had to have unexpected expenditure and a lengthy trip to the Bank of China to get USDs when the guide actually converted them to Chinese currency
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We met lots of local people and learned about their lifestyle. We were very conscious of the environment - as we are normally and ensured that we made a minimal impact on the areas that we visited, other than having some very memorable experiences. Things are some cheap in China, and at times the bargaining becomes a bit of a game, when in reality you are haggling over 50p - which is far more important to the locals than to you - need to keep reminding yourself of that !
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was a great trip - well worth it - highly recommended - family all enjoyed it. The food was great, people very nice and friendly, just the usual be careful warnings when travelling in large cities anywhere in the world. Lucy the guide was just delightful, helpful, flexible and accommodating. Excellent leader!
| Reviewed 5 Aug 2006 by Ann Galli | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It is hard to identify a specific moment that was a favorite. Every day had an amazing new experience. If I had to pick one, it would be climbing the Great Wall of China, and taking the slide down, but that only slightly edges out every other day we had. Rafting down the Yulong river is a very close second.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We had 2 teens and a 10 year old with us, and this was a great, adventure filled vacation for them. While kids younger than 10 could do this, you wouldn't be able to do some of the more adventurous thing that the teenagers enjoyed so much (like biking in Yangshou countryside and dipping in the cave mud baths, bike racing around the city wall in Xi'an, or even crossing the street in Xi' an! The kids did more than "see" another country, they "lived" in another country for 2 weeks). Also, pack as lightly as you can, your luggage gets heavy after a while and you can get laundry done for you on the road, but if you visit during the rainy season bring a light raincoat. Wheeled suitcases a must. Also, stay flexible... in a group sometimes going with the flow ends up better than you can imagine!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, absolutely. Other than Beijing we stayed in locally owned hotels, and our guide was excellent at identifying locally owned restaurants that guaranteed a true local meal, and true local experiences. On that note, we had the best guide in all of China.
4. Any other comments?
Simply the best holiday our family has ever been on... could go on at length but you get the picture!