China Tour Reviews

My husband and I wanted to visit Cambodia for quite some time. When I was planning our trip, I knew that a visit to the historic Angkor Wat temples was definitely on our list, but I wasn’t sure about what else to visit in Cambodia.

Mrs Wendy Lee from Agate Travel did a really nice job helping us to plan our trip. We had a few conversations with her to describe what we were interested in doing/seeing and she came up with a suggested itinerary and made all the arrangements. From the moment I first contacted her, 6 months prior our trip to the conclusion of it, she always replied quickly via email. The price she quoted us was great, better than the prices of other companies I had also contacted.

Cambodia is an amazing place with so much to see. During our 14-day tour we visit Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Battambang, Kampot and Koh Rong Island. The country is incredibly rich in culture and natural beauty. Every place we visited had something unique and special that made it stand out. Cambodian people are incredibly kind, gentle and their hospitality is superb.

From beginning to end, everything was perfect and there were no mishaps. The hotels were really good, the service outstanding and the guides and drivers knowledgeable, caring and concerned for our safety.

Of the wonderful places in Cambodia, Siem Reap temples were the most amazing experience made only better by our guide, Mr Heng Sourchanrith. He was brilliant in ensuring that we not only saw a range of sites, but we also had a lot of background information, giving us detailed explanations about the places, the historical context, the art and meaning of the symbols and writings that cover the walls and piles of the temples. Also explain to us many legends about the places we visited and the people who lived there in those times and about the live and the culture of the in Cambodia in nowadays. I also must note he was particularly good with the timing of our visits to the busier places, which avoided most of the crowds.

Thank you for an amazing trip. We have no hesitation in recommending Agate Travel. If we return to Southeast Asia, we will book through them again. Collapse

As part of the excellent Classic China Tour we spent two days in Guilin with the very helpful and informative QiuyanLi as our guide for the area.



QiuyanLi ('Li' for short) met us at the airport and took us to the very impressive Reed Flute Cave complex which we really enjoyed. It can, apparently, be very busy but was not at all crowded when we visited so Li was able to show us around the caves without any difficulty.



From there we headed towards the city to see Elephant Trunk Hill. Unfortunately, it was extremely crowded and noisy around the best viewing areas when we visited making it hard to see the best views or hear all of the commentary, despite Li's best efforts.



Our hotel, the Sheraton, was in a great location close to the river and city centre and we found the buffet style breakfasts in the coffee shop were excellent though it was very crowded both mornings. Our room was OK but just a little tired and disappointing compared to some of the others on the tour. Two comfortable chairs would have been better that just one for a couple.



The city is very interesting and friendly with markets and food options of all sorts though we did encounter some issues with misunderstandings over language translations but that can all be part of the travel experience in a foreign country.



We discovered that one of the best (and reasonably priced) options for a local meal is, ironically, the Irish pub next to the hotel which had almost no Irish meal options but some excellent Chinese ones making it a favourite of many of the locals, including Li!



The artificial waterfall which flows over the side of the Waterfall Hotel in the city at certain times in the evening is as spectacular as it is unexpected and worth the short walk.



The beautiful cruise to Yangshuo on the Li River was outstanding and one of the highlights of the whole tour. Li came along and made sure we missed nothing. It was wonderful! We had been warned that the lunch provided on the cruise might be disappointing but we enjoyed it very much and found the hospitality on the boat to be excellent.



Yangshuo was a very interesting and attractive little town where we had time for a short break before heading out to the countryside to walk around a small farming village which was quite interesting and showed us a very different aspect to local life.



There was an optional evening cruise on the Li River in the city area. We nearly didn't bother but that would have been a huge mistake. It was breathtaking and another of the highlights of our whole trip! It is so good that we think it should be included as part of the main tour. Guilin really puts on a show! Li, again, came along to make sure that we really enjoyed ourselves.



Thanks, Guilin and thanks QiuyanLi. Collapse

I was nervous planning a solo trip to China on short notice with no prior knowledge of China, and my travel dates didn’t align with any existing tour package from any company I could find. I’m so glad I stumbled upon Travel China Guide and *especially my travel consultant Leslie* who created an itinerary specifically for me. Before the trip, she spent considerable time emailing back and forth with me extensively to design the trip I wanted, and continued emailing back and forth to make adjustments and refinements until we had every last detail just right. She arranged train travel between cities, train station drop offs and pick ups, hotel transfers—everything. And once I was in China, she stayed in touch regularly by text to make sure each day went as planned, that I got to the right train platforms, was met by drivers and tour guides as scheduled, and that every other detail went smoothly and according to plan. It’s really hard to say enough about how conscientious, helpful, and available Leslie was at every stage, from being to end. I’m glad I found Leslie, and I would recommend Leslie without hesitation as a travel planner and consultant to anyone. Collapse