Dear Wanda,

I am writing to thank you for arranging our amazing 25 day private tour of China in October. Absolutely everything went perfectly, despite us only confirming the booking 2 weeks before we arrived in China, and it is a real credit to your organisation and the support provided by all concerned.

When we started to plan this trip, we intended to go with an organised group tour from Australia. However, we found a number of companies on line that offered private tours instead, many of which were based in China. We had some reservations about taking a private tour, but soon realised it would enable us to tailor an itinerary to exactly suit our requirements.

Another concern was booking with an unknown (to us) company that did not have an office in Australia, but that fear was soon dispelled by the obvious integrity and professionalism of your emailed correspondence, as well as our on line checks. Our final concern regarding cost was quickly eliminated when we received your quote and found it no more expensive than an equivalent organised group tour.

I am sure many other travellers will be in a similar position to us with similar concerns. Therefore, I thought I would write to you to summarise our experience with China Odyssey, as it may help them to overcome some of those concerns. Please feel free to post this email on your website, and I would be happy to answer emailed queries from genuine travellers.

Guides

All of our guides were in their early to mid 20's, mostly female, friendly, intelligent, usually college or university educated, and spoke near perfect English. They arranged everything for us, from collecting us at the airport gate to checking us in for our next flight (we never saw a plane ticket), and everything in between. They also arranged tickets - mostly on the day - for us to see the various cultural shows in each city, even accompanying us to the theatre to ensure all went smoothly. They all took their responsibilities very seriously, even to the point of buying bottled water for us, to ensure we remained hydrated! - and they were never late.

Drivers

Whilst none of the drivers spoke much English, they were always courteous and punctual, and  drove very safely (given the different driving practices in China). The vehicles were all clean and usually fairly new, being either a car or 4WD or van. That allowed them to drop us off, or park closer to the attractions or restaurants compared with a larger tour bus, and so saved us some legwork. Also, the guides were in regular mobile phone contact with the driver, so the car was usually waiting for us at the exit.

Accommodation

Our accommodation was generally 4 star, supplemented by 3 star if no 4 star available. This standard was usually excellent to very good, equivalent to that in Australia, and certainly a far cry from when we first visited China in 1980.

Food

Western breakfasts were part of the tour cost, and were generally excellent, with one or two exceptions in the less foreign-touristed areas. It was nice to start the day with something you were used to. However, lunches were always at a Chinese restaurant, sampling whatever was the local speciality, and were generally very good. Our guide would make suggestions and then we would agree on the selections. Apart from the particular evenings when dinner was included, or when we saw a cultural show, we were usually left to explore the various cities in the evenings and find our own food. After a big breakfast and lunch, often we wanted only a small dinner.

Tours

Having a custom tour allowed us to adapt the itinerary to the conditions. For example, in Beijing during the holiday week, our guide gave us an early start for the visit to the Great Wall, and so we avoided the crowds (that were arriving as we were leaving). The guides were faithful to the printed intinerary, but we were allowed to spend as long as we liked and never felt hurried.

Yangtze Cruise

The Yangtze cruise was 5 star, although this is a cruise ship rating and so not the same as a hotel. Nevertheless, the cabin was comfortable, with en suite and balcony - not that we spent much time there, with the spectacular scenery outside. The staff on board need a special mention, always smiling, helpful and friendly. When they weren't serving, or cleaning, or doing other chores, they were there on the gangplanks to see you safely off the ship on a shore excursion, or to welcome you back. Then in the evenings, they provided the various cultural shows on board. It was truly a fantastic experience.

Feedback

China Odyssey does not employ all of the guides and drivers. Some are freelance and work via a local agency. This could lead to uncertainty and variability in the quality of the services provided. However, to help them monitor this, and to provide important feedback, the guide would give us a questionnaire to complete just before leaving each city. This covered the guide, driver, hotels, restaurants and tours. All of the guides were very keen to get good ratings, which in itself shows that the questionnaires work effectively. Needless to say, we gave every guide 5 out of 5 on all aspects of their performance.

Above is only a brief overview of what to expect from China Odyssey Tours. Again, I have to say we were completely satisfied with the service and organisation. Thank you.

Regards,

Brian and Andrea Armour