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Laurus travel REVIEWS -
Customer Testimonials Comments below represent only a small fraction of our satisfied customers. We have many more ready to vouch for our reputation. If you need a reference, please give us a call. We take our customers' privacy seriously. For that reason, we remove information from customer testimonials that could lead to them being publicly identified. -----Original Message----- Dear Heidi and Julius, Greetings from Hangzhou! We are returning home tomorrow after staying one week with our son and his family in this beautiful city. As you probably have heard from the others, this tour was a great success. This is our second trip with Laurus and it was every bit as good as the one we took in 2009. In some respects, it's even better. We appreciate the switch from the Great Wall Sheraton to the brand new Crowne Plaza U-Town. The unlimited supply of bottled water was a nice touch. We particularly enjoyed the one night stay at the guest house near the Great Wall, which allowed us to walk on the Wall early in the morning with no other visitors around. It is true the bathrooms of the guest house are not as well maintained as the 5-star hotels for the rest of the tour, but we can live with that in exchange for a remarkable and unique experience. We save our highest compliment for Dan Liu, our tour leader, a man with a heart of gold. His pleasant personality, vast knowledge and devotion to his work make him a perfect tour leader. Being a former college teacher , he knows much more than the average guide and yet he remains very humble. We consider him a friend and would love to have him over as our guest on his next visit to Toronto. We thank you again for another wonderful trip and hope to travel with you for a third time in the near future! Pat & Marion D From Professor S of Princeton University Re: Our Recent China Tour with Laurus Working with the office was easy, quick, and confidence-making. From beginning to end, we felt entirely taken care of, with no detail undone. We appreciated the help with our visas and with flights, which made those initial plans less anxiety-provoking. The trip was perfectly planned. We felt we got to see all of the key sights at a relaxed pace. We were delighted not to be forced to go shopping. The food was amazing. Our guides were great. I can't imagine a better introduction to a fascinating country. I think that all Americans/Canadians need to visit China and I would recommend Laurus to anyone--we have already told many friends about the remarkable tour and the high quality of our experience from start to finish. Thanks so much for your excellent service. Professor S [In compliance with our privacy policy, the professor's name is not disclosed because there is probably only one Princeton professor with that first name and we don't want a stranger to track her down. However, the distinguished scholar is available as reference.] -----Original Message----- Dr. Carl B, MD -----Original Message----- -----Original Message----- I had a memorable tour to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. This is the second time I toured China with " Laurus Travel " and I highly recommend this company. It provides excellent service and our guide... [editor: Susan and family rated their recent trip with Laurus Travel 5 out of 5 meaning the tour exceeded their expectations in very respect. Feel free to ask for her as a reference] Susan M. -----Original Message----- We traveled to China to enjoy and explore the culture and learn more about both historical and modern China. The local guides were very knowledgeable about the sites we toured and very good at answering our questions. We had lots of questions about life in China today, which many of the guides were happy to answer, and several of the guides were willing to share personal experiences about their life. We left China feeling we had made new friends. Our tour was extensive covering a large area of China. Although we could only see a limited amount in the time we had available, we thoroughly enjoyed all the sites on the itinerary from ancient ruins and grottos in the desert, to the Forbidden City and Summer Palace, pagodas and temples, the Great Wall and Terra Cotta Warriors, the pandas and the Sunday morning animal market in Kashgar, the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Lijiang, Kunming, Shangri La etc. ... to the ultra modern Shanghai. China is indeed a country of contrasts and we found it all very interesting. We loved the diversity of cultures, exploring historical sites, shopping in local markets and eating in local restaurants. Laurus Travel did an excellent job in making our traveling arrangements, ensuring that we were treated like 'special' people throughout our trip. Thank-you Laurus Travel for giving us a vacation experience we will always remember with great pleasure. Joanne H. -----Original Message----- Hi Alan & Heidi, Our children did a lot of research online and found your company had the best reviews for trips to China so they purchased the 11 day China trip for my 60th birthday present as a surprise. We were most impressed right from the beginning with the emails and information sent through before we even left and our Tour Guides were wonderful, especially Su in Beijing, Tony in Xi'an and Anne in Shanghai. ...Our accommodation throughout China was wonderful with the hotels being clean and comfortable with very friendly staff and the breakfasts were superb - so much choice! Our Tour Guides in-depth knowledge of the history of China, together with their sense of humour made our trip so memorable. They had so much patience and were willing to take the time to explain things and wait for us to take as much time as we needed to see everything. Su is a rare jewel and the very nicest person who is very proud of her country, its history and traditions and does Laurus Travel a great service, we would recommend her without hesitation to anyone travelling to Beijing. The food at the restaurants that we were taken to was excellent & we enjoyed trying all of the local cuisines, also the two shows that we saw as part of our trip were very enjoyable and extremely professional.... We would not hesitate to recommend Laurus Travel to anyone wanting to travel to China and would certainly use you again if we get the opportunity to go back - there is still so much to see and do in China. Once again thank you so much for such an enjoyable and professionally run trip. Jan & Vince R. -----Original Message----- From: Bob and Linda [mailto:bltgb@---.com] Julius and Alan, we wanted to take this time to thank you again for another phenomenal trip to China. As you know, this is the third time we have worked with you on putting together a China itinerary. We wouldn't use anyone else. Your level of service and concern for our satisfaction and happiness with the accommodations, tours and itinerary is phenomenal. As you know, this trip we returned to four of the locations you arranged for us last year because we were so impressed with them and wanted to spend more time in each - Shanghai, Tongli, Hanghzou and Wuxi. The addition of Xi Tang was another winner. We so enjoy those water (canal) towns. One of the things we have been very impressed with is the quality of the guides and drivers that you have arranged. Our guide in Hangzhou, Vincent, is one of the best we've ever had. Not only is he knowledgeable but he brings an artist's touch to his work. He plays the flute and he shared his artistry, as well as sampling of beautiful Chinese music, to several of our stops. His flute music was a wonderful distraction as we waited in line for one of our boat trips through the canals in Xi Tang. Not only were we thrilled with his musical talents but so were the others around us. He explained several important love stories of China, with accompanying music snippets on his iPad. That information was very helpful to us when we watched the water show on the lake in Hangzhou. By the way, you provided us with the very best two seats in the house for that show. I don't know how you did it but we felt very much like VIPs when were we were seated in our own box, the only one with a roof over it, where we were provided a snack box, bottled water and our own personal electric fans. It was very impressive. Our guide in Wuxi, KiKi, was also very good. We're always impressed that all the guides you use are college graduates, generally tourism majors, with excellent command of the English language and knowledge of the local area. Kiki showed us the highlight of the trip that was the Fan Palace in Wuxi. The interior literally took my breath away. I must have taken 20 photos of it. That will always stand out as one of those magic moments in our travels. The hotels you select are always amazing. They are all definitely 5 star and we are always impressed. That's saying something as we travel a lot and have stayed in some of the best hotels around the world. The quality of everything you touch is always first class and that includes the vehicles used. We had a fabulous roomy van for the first part of our trip that not only handled all our luggage but allowed Bob and me to stretch out and be really comfortable. Our driver from Shanghai to Hangzhou was excellent, Mr. Ho, had great command of the roads and was very personable. What always impresses us is the flexibility and adaptability that your people show. We made numerous changes, both before and during our trip, to our itinerary that Alan graciously accommodated. We also emailed Alan during the trip to specify a certain room request in Tongli and ask a couple of questions and he responded very quickly and handled everything effortlessly. It's this level of service that's an earmark of Laurus. Once again, thank you for making our trips to China so very special and affording us the ease of mind to know that everything, to the very last detail, will be handled extremely well. Warmest regards, Linda and Bob L. -----Original Message----- Dear Julius, We just wanted to write and tell you how fabulous the China trip was. The country, is of course, more fascinating and complex than anyone could ever imagine but the real star was Steven! He is a true gem; kind and patient, generous of heart and spirit and endlessly efficient and cheerful ( he probably can leap tall buildings in a single bound as well!). In talking to friends who have gone to China with other groups, I am convinced that our experience was far richer and more unique, largely because of his expertise. Don't lose him! Thanks again, This China trip review was copied verbatim from tripadvisor.com. Please go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294211-i642-k4778052-China_tour_company_traveling_alone_Laurus_Travel_a_Gem-China.html for original post. The author is an attorney from New York. You may ask for her as a reference. “ China tour company - traveling alone; Laurus
Travel...a Gem ” I'm writing to report in on my experience in
traveling alone to China. Intimidated primarily by the language/
communications issues, I felt I needed a land package to see me through
China (specifically, Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai). I've just returned from
an 11 day package with Laurus Travel (out of Vancouver) - I found them on
the internet - and through reviews here. I am writing because I wanted to
share the particulars of what made my Laurus experience the best "group"
travel I have ever had. First of all, I'm not an "on the bus/off the bus"
kind of girl...so group touring can be off-putting. This was a totally
different experience. There were 7 of us - enough to allow for a shared
experience (something I very much wanted), but never so many that I ever
felt that we were being "herded". And that smallness and the knowledge and
flexibility of their guides made us able to adapt our visits to our
interests. Laurus's model is that with groups over 10 an overall country
guide is assigned...but if less than 10, no country guide...just local
City guides. This left me a little concerned in advance of the trip - but
my concern was replaced by nothing but praise. We were met at the airport
in each city by a local guide and a driver extremely knowledgeable in
their area - they were flexible, interesting and diverse. That changing of
guides was a true positive aspect of the trip. They took us to their
neighborhood favorite restaurants, ordered to our expressed tastes (the
food was freakily good in each city!!!!) and NEVER subjected us to
"tourist shopping trap hell". They went above and beyond in so many small
ways. I know that they are in the hospitality biz...and so this should not
be surprising - but even with that said, they went beyond the call of
duty. Amie G, -----Original Message----- ACCOMMODATIONS FOOD ITINERARY We thought our Laurus tour (18-day Odyssey) was just fantastic. Everything about the tour (sites, accommodations, food, guides, etc.) were A++. My wife and I learned so much about Chinese history and culture. Our local guides were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. We spent a lot of time talking with them about life in China, and we felt they were all forthcoming and had interesting stories to tell. Our group was small and the intimacy no doubt helped provide a special experience. There are so many interesting things to see in China, this tour was a great overview, a great beginning. One of our guides made suggestions of where we might go on our next trip, and we hope someday to come back and go there. Professor Fred G & Lisa G -----Original Message----- We have done a lot of international travelling, including ocean cruising and driving all through Europe and the US. We were reluctant however to try to see China on our own, so the Laurus Tour was our choice for this vacation. We are completely satisfied with having made that decision. The entire Laurus tour was managed on a first-class level. Guides, drivers, itineraries and accommodations were excellent; the tour exceeded our expectations and we would have no hesitation in recommending Laurus. (as an aside, I know you say you won't divulge names, but we would have no problem with talking to anyone who might be interested in one of your tours.) Brian & Maxine A. -----Original Message----- Hi Alan, I wanted to let you know what a wonderful trip we had. Jeff and Tony were terrific guides. They were sensitive to the boys' needs and even taught them a handful of useful Chinese words. Tony even helped me in various ways to order vegetarian meals, for which I am very grateful. And Jeff taught the kids to count to 10. The transportation was well-arranged and we loved our itinerary. The hotels were good overall (though the Sheraton in Xi'an lacked the pool it advertised on its website--not Laurus' fault, but the boys were disappointed not to be able to swim there). All in all, we were so happy we were with Team Laurus. I'd be happy to write a recommendation for your website, if that would be helpful. Thanks again, and please let Jeff and Tony know our kids say: Ni Hou! Regards, Adrianna D and family -----Original Message----- I just want to say that our trip with Laurus travel exceeded our expecations. Because of the small-group nature of the tours, it was really great to be able to change plans on the fly. For example, our flight to Beijing was delayed, so Steven (our guide) changed the order of sightseeing so that we would be able to see everything when it was open, without compromising time. We also enjoyed our meals - because Laurus does not take you to the typical "tourist" restaurants, our guides would ask us what we would like to try, and they ordered items according to our tastes. At the same time, we were able to sample cuisines that were specific to the regions. Cantonese further south, home-made noodles in X'ian, and spicier flavors in areas known for such dishes. It was very nice. Last, I want to stress to anyone that is concerned... unlike nearly all the other travel companies, Laurus truly is a "NO SHOPPING STOPS" tour company! We never stopped at touristy souvenir shops. Most of our tourist shopping came on our own time, at stalls and shops set up by local people outside the attractions. A few times we even asked the guides to take us to places to look for specific items, and they were happy to do so. They also happy to help negotiate for us as well. Our trip went very smoothly, and I recommend Laurus Travek to anyone that wishes to have a hassle-free trip to China. Naveen B & family -----Original Message----- Overall, it was a fascinating and memorable trip. I loved it and I am still processing my thoughts and memories. Wow! What I appreciated about Laurus was that you were able to find such knowledgeable and accommodating guides, the sites you chose for us to see were simply amazing, the hotels were top notch. Although we were travelling a lot during the two weeks, we did not get worn down - I think because we were so well taken care of. Thank you to you and the entire team at Laurus. Deb & Rod T -----Original Message----- We were referred to Laurus by a colleague who couldn't speak highly enough of the trip he and his wife had taken the year before, and we definitely were not disappointed. We've travelled quite alot to various places around the world, on cruises, on tours and on our own, and this trip met and exceeded our expectations - even though we can be especially picky about things like food and accommodations! Both were first-rate, as were the knowledgeable and patient guides, who had excellent skills in English and accommodated all of our questions and special requests. We would absolutely recommend this trip and Laurus to anyone. Deanna S, LLB -----Original Message----- -----Original Message----- My wife and I completed the 21 day in depth China tour from mid April to May. Laurus travel provided an excellent itinerary. The accommodations were excellent in every respect.. It is very hard to project to a reader what a great trip it is. This will certainly go down as one of the absolutely best trips my wife and I have had... We would certainly recommend Laurus travel. The trip is above and beyond what we expected. Wayne & Gail G -----Original Message----- Hi Julius, .... all we can say is that our trip was definitely "over the top" of our expectations!!!!. ... Your choices of hotels, restaurants, guides were just exceptional. Absolutely no complaints anywhere !!!! You can't do better than that..... PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO USE our name for any recommendations ...... We will be more than happy to share our great trip and "HIGHEST" recommendations. Thanks for a wonderful holiday, Joyce E. -----Original Message----- ... just to let you know in advance that the trip was excellent in all respects, including: a. tour guides (Steven, Dana and Shirley): extremely knowledgeable, personable, helpful and very perceptive to the wishes of the travellers, b. hotels: excellent quality and service in all locations, c. dining: excellent choices for quality, service and a wide range of Chinese cuisine. We very much appreciate the service provided by Laurus, and would be happy to choose it again, or to recommend it to others. Thanks very much for a very memorable experience. Cheers, Don & Linda L Excerpt from Kathy C's feedback received May 15, 2011: The tour itinerary was a good balance between guided, hosted activities and independent free time. The value of the guided tours, meals and hotels was excellent. I would definitely recommend Laurus Tours to others wanting a comprehensive tour of cities in China. Kathy C -----Original Message----- We are safely back from our trip to China and can assure you we had an amazing time. You were right about running a "tight ship"--everything went as planned, and the only minor glitch of a delayed flight to Xi'an was dealt with by you and your team in a responsible and professional way, as we were put up at an airport hotel for a few hours to have a rest and some food while we awaited news of a revised departure time. We really got the "Royal Treatment" everywhere by your people! All in all, we can say that China definitely exceeded our expectations as a tour destination and we honestly wish we could have stayed longer than three weeks and seen more things than we did. ... Congratulations on your well planned itineraries... Thanks again for all your help! Best of luck planning future tours for subsequent groups of travelers smart enough to choose Laurus! Anne and Charlie C -----Original Message----- Subject: China tour review Hi Julius, Our China tour was fantastic and certainly exceeded my expectations. All three tour guides were wonderful - enthusiastic, humorous, and knowledgeable. My favourite sights were the Great Wall (of course) and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, as well as the Terracotta warriors in Xian. The Shanghai acrobatic show was breathtaking. We were glad to be switched to the brand new Sheraton in Shanghai which was gorgeous. It was an excellent tour full of great memories. Thanks again for helping us organize this, and I will definitely recommend the Laurus tour to my friends and contacts. Sincerely, -----Original Message----- Our trip was wonderful. I have recommended Laurus
to many people since our return. Everything was first class. The tour
guides, particularly Howard, were all terrific. They were very
informative, very helpful and good fun. I commend you for having small
tour groups. I think that may set you apart from some of the other tours.
You should keep that up. We happened to "luck out" with a particularly
good group - all interesting and fun people. We became friends quickly.
But it is much easier to enjoy the sites when travelling in a small group. -----Original Message----- We really enjoyed the trip. We had Steven Shi as our tour leader and he was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable. He not only knew all the details of the sites that we were visiting but he also pointed our other interesting facts pertaining to Chinese culture and history. Steven also made adjustments to our schedule to avoid crowds and to accommodate our requests for unscheduled stops (like the Olympic venues.) We really appreciated the fact that he introduced us to his martial arts teacher in the hutongs who invited us into his home. The hotels chosen by Laurus are very good and would be familiar to anyone who is used to the Sheratons and Hiltons in North America. The size of the tour group and the transportation arrangements were excellent. I can't help but feel sorry for the other tour groups that we saw that were so large that the guide had to use a megaphone and herd them like cattle to keep them moving. Laurus was also very accommodating to customize the tours as needed... There are still other places in China I would like to see and I am looking forward to using Laurus again. Andy L -----Original Message----- We have done much international traveling in the past but mostly independent of a tour. Our experience with Laurus has convinced us that a small tour group is an excellent option. We do believe that having traveled in a group of only 10 people was a great advantage and we would avoid companies that put together large groups (25 or more). While we are aware that Laurus strives to book tours of 20 and regret for your sake that the number in our group was half that, we feel the smaller size enhanced our experience of China. No doubt the visits to local restaurants would have been rather more difficult and prolonged with a larger group. Also, the very personal attention from the tour leader and local guide would have likely seemed less so with a larger number. We do want to impress upon Laurus that we feel that our tour leader, Steven Shi, is a great asset to your company and in large part responsible for our having such an enjoyable trip. As a result, we would not hesitate to book a tour with Laurus in the future should we decide to return to China or if Laurus were to offer another destination of interest to us. We also would highly recommend Laurus to friends and relatives. Dolores & John D. -----Original Message----- Laurus Travel, Vancouver BC Dear Julius and Heidi: For over 40 years my wife and I have travelled independently in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, usually renting a car and making all the plans ourselves. We appreciate the spontaneity associated with independent travel since, especially the flexibility to stay in one place longer if one finds it to be more interesting. With that background, we approached the prospect of a travel tour with the usual hesitations: Would we see what we wanted to see? Would we be forced to see what we didn't want to see ... for example, shopping expeditions? How articulate, informed and committed would the guide be? Would our fellow travelers be punctual and compatible? Would the low per-day cost after allowing for airfare be reflective of substandard accommodation and/or meals? Would we be nickled and dimed at every turn for tips or expenses not covered by the tour? On all counts, our expectations were exceeded. Most importantly, we found your colleague and our tour guide Steven Shi exceptionally well educated--and passionate--about Chinese culture, politics, and history. His speaking style is engaging and quietly humorous, devoid of the embarrassing little claims and stories with which day tour guides have stretched our credulity over the years. In addition to his profound knowledge, he exhibited conspicuous enthusiasm, sincere personal warmth and disarming social skills in his interactions with tour group members. Our reaction to Steven was shared by all members of the group, who we found to be people we could identify with: interested and interesting people motivated to learn more about China and appreciative of the opportunity. Based on our research about the three cities we visited, the sites Laurus Travel had chosen for us to visit reflected our personal priorities. Moreover, the accommodations and meals surpassed our expectations by a large measure so that what Laurus Travel promised it delivered in every respect. We appreciated your pre-trip information and the opportunity to pay tips once up front through Steven so that, except for hotel incidentals, shopping we initiated and tipping Steven, we hardly touched money. Finally, we appreciated your efforts in the Vancouver office to secure last minute airline reservations that met our needs at low cost. It also impressed us that you were able to provide connections for three members of our group who wanted to end their visit to China by visiting the village they had left many years ago. Thank you for your service. Sincerely, Professor Lawrence S -----Original Message----- Sveinn and I were just thrilled with our holiday
and loved China. My dream of walking on the Great Wall now realised, its
now time to start dreaming about the next adventure !! I had high
expectations before we left and those expectations were MORE than realised.....Laurus
Travel deserves all the accolades it receives; I cannot say enough
positive things about you and your organisation. Thank you Julius. All our
senses were stimulated..sights, sounds, and smells etc. We were also
physically, mentally ,emotionally and spiritually challenged. ( does that
make sense ?) ! This all with the help and guidance of your tour guides
'par excellence'. I was aware that we were a good decade older than most
of the group and hopefully we did not hold you back at all; I don't think
so. With our warmest wishes to you, Heidi and your family. Ruth and Sveinn -----Original Message----- We recently returned from our trip to China which we found to be an incredible experience! The tour leader, Howard was outstanding. Local guides were knowledgeable and helpful. The hotels were all 5 star, however the river boat, MV Queen, was disappointing and not nearly 5 star accommodation. The variety and quality of the meals allowed us to experience regional cuisine which we enjoyed very much. Thank you for providing an adventure of discovery! We were excited before we went and Laurus and China exceeded our expectations. We would recommend Laurus to anyone. Thank you, Ann C & Eva M -----Original Message----- I just wanted to let you know that we enjoyed our tour very much, and Bill and I were very impressed with Laurus. I have recommended you to others. If you need a reference, or want to have others contact me regarding Laurus, just ask. Sharon S, LLB -----Original Message----- Hello Julius, We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our private China Discovery Tour (July 19-August 1). Thanks so much for making this possible for just the two of us. It was everything and much more than we had expected. From Shanghai to Beijing and every stop in between, the guides and drivers that met us at each airport were very knowledgeable and helpful and everything went without a snag. The guides explained all the things about this very different culture very well and were always willing to answer our many questions. Any requests we had were always fulfilled. The food they ordered was fabulous and very plentiful! Their introduction to China made it possible for us to comfortably travel on our own the rest of our time in China. From Elaine in Shanghai who got our Expo tickets for later in the trip along with good instructions on having a successful Expo day, to Huang in beautiful Guilin who bought us a CD of Chinese music, to Steve in Beijing who gave us thorough information and translations for the next leg of our trip and everyone in between they were professional and personable in every way. We found the pacing of the tour excellent with enough activity and rest time to make it an interesting and relaxing holiday. I have already, and will continue to recommend Laurus Travel to anyone travelling to China. Lore Ruschixxxxx and Dennis Wxxxx -----Original Message----- [below is an excerpt from Gail's e-mail. As with all the other customers who wrote us, Gail would be glad to act a reference for us] I was impressed with the service you gave to us, and I certainly have been recommending your services to people in discussing their potential travels to China. I would travel with your firm on my next trip to China. Again, thank you for your assistance in making a memorable trip for us. Gail R. -----Original Message----- ... the guides all did a great job, and in our
opinion their judgment calls were on target. We were very impressed with
the staff and crew of the M/V Star on the Yangtze River Cruise. Our city
guides in Beijing, Guilin and Tibet were knowledgeable, professional,
interesting and extremely hard working. Taro R. -----Original Message----- Overall the trip was fabulous. All the guides were flexible, allowing us to adapt the schedule to see more or less and suggesting other sites we might want to experience. I also appreciated the consistent schedule without being left in "shopping" situations, which several friends experienced with other companies. I learned so much about your history, culture, life-style, beliefs and what you are facing in the future. It was an over-whelmingly wonderful experience. My daughter & I are looking forward to sharing with our students in school. Many thanks to Julian [sic] for working things out under the tight time-constraints we were under and for the excellent suggestions. Great hotels, great food, great guides. I will miss Steven & Jeff. Thank you for sharing your country & your lives with us. Sara Hxxxxx -----Original Message----- Hello, I don't have a lot of time to write at the moment but just wanted to say we really thought our tour was outstanding. All of the guides were so very knowledgeable, answered any questions we had about China or their life there so we got so much by being on tour with them. Steven Shi was absolutely AMAZING as a guide-he deserves the very highest praise, but as I said the other guides were very superior as well. Linda J -----Original Message----- Mr. Yan, Just a few words to tell you that we were absolutely pleased with the arrangements that you provided and organised for the Mowry Group Tours of March 2010. We congratulate you and your Team for your professionalism in organising our airport transportation and Tours. We also greatly appreciated the professionalism of the guides that were assigned to our Group. They were terrific for us. We would not hesitate to highly recommend your services and as a matter of fact, should we go back to China, we would deal with no other. There were no surprises. You and your people contributed to the success of our China Tours. A special commandation to our Guide THANH who did a fantastic job on the HongKong, Shanghai et Beijing Tours. He really was extremely attentive to our needs, plus his in depth knowledge of the Chinese Heritage and Culture. Salutations From: Jennifer Txxxxxxx. [mailto:jennytxxxxxxxxxx@earthlink.net] We were concerned before the rip that we might have trouble eating Chinese food every day. After 3 weeks in China not only did we fall in love with but also became sort of connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine. We never imagined that the Chinese cuisine consisted of so many regional styles. The buffet breakfasts we had at the various hotels were among the best we've ever had anywhere in the world. ... I could go on and on. All in all, this was a remarkable trip and far exceeded our expectations. We recommend Laurus Travel without any reservations, just like my colleague who recommended your company to me. When we visit China again, you can sure that we will not go with anyone but Laurus Travel. Thank you again! Jenny T. -----Original Message----- We were quite satisfied with the trip [China Golden Route in May], and have so told a number of friends. One of them is thinking of organizing a trip to China for about 8 persons next year, and I've passed your contact data on to him, together with my recommendation. Terry Dxxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- our 21 day trip was wonderful....we researched many trips to china and could find no other that could offer such a diverse itinerary....from the gobi desert to the tibetan autonomous region...from hundreds of feet below sea level in turpan on the silk route to an elevation of 11,000 feet in zhongdian (shangri-la).. . the local guides gave us a good introduction to not only the chinese way of life but also the many minorities that live in the country including the naxi, uighur, and tibetan. with seven internal flights we were impressed by the efficiency of the local airlines.,the mindfulness of the drivers on the longer day trips,the quality of the hotels....but most of all we were so pleased by the planning and pacing of the trip...thank you all.... Bev & Hal S. -----Original Message----- The 24-day Tibet and Silk Road tour was outstanding. It was very well planned, organized and offered an excellent opportunity to see so much of China in a short period of time. The guide we had at each stop was knowledgeable, accomodating and spoke English well. We would highly recomment this trip for those who want to see China for the first time and are physically able and willing to cover a lot of ground walking. This is a great trip for physically and mentally active people. Mike and Laurie M. -----Original Message----- Hello Heidi, The China Odyssey tour we just completed was awesome! The well planned itinerary was executed to perfection. In our opinion, Laurus Travel delivered far more than it promised. As seasoned travellers we know a lot of things could go wrong on a trip of this length regardless of the preparation work. And yet we never experienced any problem during the entire tour except one delayed flight. We could tell and certainly appreciate the amount of work done behind the scene to make the trip so wonderful. Our guides were all very good with the ones in Beijing, Shanghai and Guilin being truly outstanding. Please feel free to let us know if you ever need us as a reference. One other thing we wanted to share with you was that we spoke to many people travelling with other companies during the Yangtze cruise and they were all impressed that Laurus Travel has a no shopping stop policy. Some of the passengers told us they were marched through tourist stores almost every day. Thank you again Laurus Travel for a job well done! Monica & Terry W. -----Original Message----- We recently returned from our Great Wall Hiking trip. It was absolutely wonderful. The guides, the itinerary and the accommodations could not have been better. Buddy was perfect and Elaine on the Shanghai portion was almost as good. Nice job. Jerry & Kathy C. -----Original Message----- Steven Shi is a credit to your organisation, his personal interest in history, his enthusiasm and his extensive knowledge made travelling with him a pleasure. First rate tour, many many thanks from us. I would be delighted to write a testimonial letter, if you should wish. Great job, Great trip, Great fun. I would have no hesitation in recommending Laurus Travel to anybody. 5 Star. Thanks to Julius & all his staff. Ken & Pam G. -----Original Message----- Excerpt from Jonathan's feedback Steven was a wonderful tour leader. He was able to answer every question about China we asked, and he knew the history and interesting facts of every location we visited. He told stories and gave history lessons every day. He took care of checking us in and out of the hotels and flights, and did a wonderful job of ordering different foods for us to try. He was the best tour guide we have ever had -- I wish he could be our tour guide for every trip we take! We were very very sad to say goodbye, he really became a friend by the end of the trip. He was worth way more than the suggested tip, so we went ahead and gave him way more than suggested. He was really worth it. I am going to recommend Laurus travel to everyone I know who would ever want to visit China. I wish you all took care of tours in other countries as well -- our experience was that good. Jonathan B, DMD -----Original Message----- Sincerely, Janice & Ira B. -----Original Message----- Hi Julius, We had a really great time. Thanks very much. I felt the trip was such a great bargain for what we got... When Ron and I go back to China, we will be sure to go through Laurus travel. Thanks again. Virginia G. -----Original Message----- -----Original Message----- Hi Julius and Heidi, Our group of 18 satisfied travelers arrived home yesterday. Everyone agreed that we had a fantastic time in China and the price we paid, considering what we got, was a real bargain. The trip exceeded our expectations in every way. We could tell that Laurus Travel operates to a standard far higher than its peers. You did not march us through any tourist traps (stores, factory showrooms etc) and the meals were genuine local fare in some of the best restaurants. Daily activities were expertly planned for the best use of our time. We found our local guides to be very knowledgeable, friendly and with good English skills. However, we reserve our highest compliments for our super competent and amicable tour leader Jesse Chang, who is such a wonderful person to be with. We were impressed with his English and more importantly his dedication to his work. His vast knowledge and intellectual capacity really blew us away. Don't lose him! Thank you for giving us such a memorable trip. We will definitely use your company again if we go back to China. Charlene and Nick J. |
