1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Difficult - many memorable moments: walking the Great Wall in a thunder storm (temp 36% C); seeing HK at night from The Peak; cycle ride around karst scenery near Yangshuo; swimming in the river fully clothed; best Peking duck ever (twice!); best Chinese cuisine ever and so diverse; cooking school near Yangshuo and then eating results for lunch; singing (humming along with) with morning singers in the Temple of Heaven, Beijing - no pub sing along will ever match, nor last night at the Proms!.............etc

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Learn a small amount of Chinese; learn to be very patient, particularly with taxi drivers in Beijing; learn the "romance" version of the Chinese name, not the English version; hope for a good tour leader - ours proved to be the worst ever, couldn't depart from her script and route marched us around China; China is cheap but not super cheap and entrance fees are expensive.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes to benefited local people, as we eat and paid for our food directly to the restaurants, shops etc. Not sure how much of our travel and accommodation went to the local and how much remained with the tour company. As to responsible - felt that left as minimal footprint as any foreign travel can. Was pleased to see that we were outnumbered by Chinese "travellers" at all the sites - only saw two foreign faces both in Tianmen Sq and the Forbidden City. Worst area of "travellers blight" was Yangshuo - sad!

Read the operator's response here:

Our tour leaders make every effort to ensure all passengers get the most from their holiday's. They not only fulfil their duty to deliver the itinerary as published, but add so much more on top. Candace who led this trip regularly receives great feedback, here are some other comments.

Family Holiday to China 13 Aug 2006
Judith Fry: Candace is exceptional! Her knowledge etc instilled confidence in us. I feel I gained so much more from this tour because Candace speaks Chinese & was able, for example, to order all different kinds of foods we wouldn't have known what they were otherwise. She enabled us to experience a wide range of new things with confidence.

Virginia Balcom: Candace made our trip! Her local knowledge and ability to join in friendly conversations with locals brought many highlights such as the adhoc soccer game in Zhongwei, the water buffalo petting in Yangshuo & the terrific shez (sic) barneque. quick thinking & invisible back-up plans kept us on schedule & relaxed. Her sense of humour made travel fun, the engaging manner endeared her to all especially the children.

16 Jul 2006
TR Price: Candace was wonderful. Kept going the 'extra mile' with info and with taking us to things particularly local experiences. Can't thank and praise her enough.

Jo Price: Candace really made this tour for us. Her language ability and enthusiasm enabled us to get lots of real close up local experiences not in the itinerary She was great fun to be with & nothing was too much trouble. Excellent in every respect.

Francesca Shaw: Candace has been a wonderfu, upbeat tour leader who always kept us well informed. Also fun to go out with. Felt safe the whole time.

Lynda Shaw: Candace is an extremely helpful tour leader who goes that extra mile. She is an asset to your company.

David Shaw: Candace was first class. An ambassador for your company. She attended to every detail.

Mrs D Forshaw: Candace goes further than most tour leaders would in an effort to give a deeper understanding of the heart of the people, their culture & lifestyle and history. She is well prepared and a great asset to the company.

Jill Green: Candace went out of her way to give us additional information on the history, political background & culture of the country.

Isabel Price, age 8: Oh Yeah. definitely Candace is the best

Emma Price, age 13: Yes she was the excellent. The best tour leader ever !!!!!!