Anne McPartland

Our guides in every city were excellent. We understood them well, and they were all helpful and attentive to our needs. We were taken to about 2 official shopping venues in each place. Our guides checked before hand that it was ok to take us there, and there was never any pressure to buy. The guides we liked the best were Wuese from Lhasa, and Lisa from Xi’an. I think this was because they had a sense of fun, and also helped us bargain in the markets we went to when we were touring around. Our vehicles were comfortable, and our drivers patient and prompt in every place we visited. We loved experiencing all of the different meals and local dishes. All of the restaurants we went to were clean and served excellent food. Some standouts were the yak steak and vegetables we had in Lhasa, the dessert we had in Xi’an, that Lisa had recommended – it was a cream and mango filled dumpling served half frozen. All of the hotels were of excellent quality and very comfortable. The Beijing Marriot was a standout, as it was so huge and had such amazing decore. We kept having to take photos of the lobby! Our hotel that you arranged for our extra stay time in Shanghai was even better than the official tour one, and very near the French Quarter, so great for walking and shopping. We drank all our bottled water every day, as it was warm weather. It was a much appreciated and very comforting addition. We really enjoyed our trip!