Classics of China’ trip: Beijing – Great Wall of China – Xi’an – Guilin – Ping’an – Yangshuo – Shanghai
Hello Jeremy,
So we’ve been back for a few days now and to answer your question, here’s a little ‘feedback’ on the excellent stay we had in China, looking at the different components of your tour by theme:
The program
Difficult, if not impossible, to see more in 12 days. We found the tour to be very well designed, allowing us to explore the different aspects of the country (modern, historical, urban, rural, landscapes, etc.) It’s dense without being tiring, thanks to perfect organisation. We would never have been able to do and see so much travelling independently, even with good preparation. The programme was perfectly respected, with a few variations (crossing days 1 and 3 in Beijing because the guide told us that the Forbidden City was now closed on Monday, reversing the programme in Xi’an because getting to the airport from the Terracotta Army site would have been a real nightmare because of the traffic, taking the cable car back down from the Great Wall because the descent was pointless, microscopic savings and enough walking planned for the day…). The downside of a tight programme is that the time spent at the sites is limited (I would gladly have stayed a little longer at the Great Wall), but time is limited and you can’t have everything.
The organisation
As I said: absolutely perfect. Punctuality, fluidity (no waiting), responsiveness. What a pleasure to travel without any worries! The guides
Impeccable, always available and attentive, perfectly bilingual. Each with his or her own qualities: the kind Loulou, Félicité with her culture and perfect French, the dynamic and attentive François, the amusing Julie.
The drivers
Due to the language barrier, the exchange was limited to a morning ‘hello’. Apart from the first (Beijing), who was cold and excited about honking his horn, there was nothing to complain about. Irreproachable in their role
The hotels
We enjoyed them all.
Kelly’s Courtyard for the charm of a traditional house and John’s (and Mark’s) absolutely charming welcome, the Bell Tower for its standard and ideal location, the Guilin Bravo, also good but we only stayed there for a while, the picturesque Liqing in Ping’an, really ‘roots’, especially on the Day of the Dead, the Secret Garden, well hidden, but so pleasant and welcoming, and the Astor House, almost on the Bund, for its beauty of an old palace steeped in history (the wi-fi also dates from the Shanghai of the Roaring Twenties): -) )
The meals
On the whole, we had a wonderful time. We rediscovered aubergines, deliciously prepared, chicken with peanuts, bamboo shoots… and adopted tea as an accompanying drink.
Domestic flights
Apart from the Beijing-Xi’an flight, which was already a bit late and ran behind schedule (+ 3/4 hour’s drive between the airport and the hotel: arrival at the hotel around 1.30am), everything went very well. ), everything went very well (upgraded on the Guilin-Shangai – your choice?).
So that’s it for our impressions of the trip
We’ve been travelling for a long time, always by our own means, but the choice of turning to you for an organised tour proved to be the right one, given the need for a short stay, the language barrier, the complexity of the country, the distances, etc… Of course, this has a cost, but frankly, this trip was such a pleasure, both in terms of discovering the country and the comfort and peace of mind of not having to worry about anything except enjoying it, that it was really worth it.
We would like to congratulate you on the quality of your services, which enabled us to have an excellent holiday. I would recommend your agency.
Yours sincerely
Michel & Nadine