Date of Review: 10/29/2010
Hello Jenny, I just want you to know that this tour exceeded all expectations. Although it was an exhausting trip, there weren’t any of the excursions that I would have wanted to miss. The choices of hotels we stayed at were outstanding. The many wonderful places we visited only made us want to see more. Our day at Expo was a disappointment, through no fault of Chinapac. There were simply far too many folks on site the day we were there, and we were not able to get into ANY pavilions except for the Canadian one. Tony was an extraordinary guide. His love of and pride in his country was evident. He is extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of the history and geography of China. He took care of every little detail that helped to make each member on the tour feel comfortable and safe at all times. When we were comfortably installed in our hotel rooms after an exhausting day of touring, Tony was still actively following up on individual requests from members of our group, and completing the preparations for the following day. Sometimes it seemed he never had time to sleep! You are indeed fortunate to have this remarkable man in your employ.
Grace
Canada
Date of Review: 10/28/2010
Comments: Just returned from a fabulous 2 week trip to China including the Yangtze River with Alex as our guide. Together with Tony, (the quide of the other group), they made our trip most enjoyable with their knowledge of and pride in their country, their ability to manouver us through and around crowded tourist sites, Expo, and airports,as well as looking after every logistical detail. Their humour and zest for travelling was infectious. I came away with a very new impression of China and the gains made within the past 20 years. This was certainly one of my most memorable experiences. Thanks again Alex
Carol
ON
Date of Review: 10/28/2010
Fiona We just got back from China on Sunday. We had an awesome trip. Everything was very well organized and Alex was a great tour guide and so were all the local guides, especially Mary on the Yangtze River cruise. Thanks
Chitra
Edmonton , AB
Canada
Date of Review: 10/26/2010
Hi Cindy, We just returned from our tour. It was fabulous. The tour was loaded with sightseeing and activities, the hotels were first class, and everything was so well organized. And, of course, I can't say enough about our tour guide "Tony", who was absolutely the best. He has a great command of the English language, a sense of humor, took a personal and caring interest in everyone in the group, and is extremely passionate about his country and his job. Although "Alex" led the other half of our group, I was equally impressed by his capabilities. I have already spread the word to friends and acquaintances to visit China and to definitely book with Chinapac.
Irene
Canada
Date of Review: 10/23/2010
Hi Fiona, Just to let you know that we have received our passports yesterday. We are now ready to enjoy our trip to Bejing. We want to thank you for your good and courteous service. We will not hesitate to recommand ChinaPac. Best regards,
Claudette
Canada
Date of Review: 10/8/2010
I just returned from 16 days Yangtze River tour in China and want to say my family and I enjoyed the tour very much. It is a good value for the sevices we got during this tour. We especially appreciate the help of our tour guide Alex Feng who went beyond and above his call of duty to ensure that we had a smooth and enjoyable trip in China. He made all the differences for the time we spent during this trip. I would highly recommend anyone who wants to go to China to choose Chinapac
Anne
Oakville, ON
Canada
Date of Review: 8/11/2010
Hi Cindy, We just got back from Paris Monday night and we had a GREAT time! Thanks so much for all your help booking this trip for us. It worked out perfectly. The hotel was excellent. The staff were very friendly, the room was very clean and comfy, breakfast was always good and it was in a very convenient location. We were really happy with everything and had an unforgettable experience. Thanks again!
Bonnie and Steve
Vancouver , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 7/27/2010
Just a quick note to say how wonderful the trip was to China. I am recommending the trip to everyone a speak to. Just wanted to let you know what a wonderful tour guide Alex was. He went above and beyond the call of duty on a number of occasions. His knowledge, and the way he presented it was super. His pride in his country came through as well. I hope you pass this information onto the appropriate people. Thanks.
Linda
Thunder Bay , ON
Canada
Date of Review: 7/13/2010
Dear John, Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality. We appreciate all you did for us. We will remember the special dishes that you ordered for us at the JadeGarden. It was a delicious meal. Thank you for taking time to show us around Expo, it is much appreciated. Without your help we would be lost, as the place is so huge. Thank you for showing us how to use the Subway, and also for providing a cell phone, as it gave us confidence to be adventurous, knowing that you would be available if we were lost. We appreciated all the tips you and Barbara gave us. Going on a week day was definitely less busy, and going a bit later, and starting at Madong Road entrance we avoided all the line ups. By, knowing how to use the subway, we were able to stay later, and appreciate the lights of Expo, which were beautiful. Also, the line ups were shorter, and we basically walked into the Canada and Brazil pavilions. (we did 12 Pavillions on Monday, in section B and C.). On Tuesday we did Section D and E , this section was very interesting. The Expo museum and Pavillion of Footprints were good.(They were big pavilions, and only 5-10min line up).
Llew and Joanna
Vancouver , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 7/9/2010
Hello Fiona, We returned to Canada, about 10 days ago, at the end of the Yangtze Tour (with Peng You from Thunder Bay). Our international guide, Alex was excellent. Thank you very much! And thanks very much for all your assistance along the way, Fiona. It truly was an exceptionally good tour, very well organized, planned, and delivered! I am very happy to have gone. I will never forget my time in China!
Scott
Thunder Bay , ON
Canada
Date of Review: 6/14/2010
The trip we took with you was fabulous! The guides were terrific and the sights beyond belief. One could NEVER do this trip without a tour, as the driving is insane! People and cars everywhere in Beijing and Shanghai and they all want to be where the other guy is...but despite the use of car horns, the drivers remain very calm! The hotels were very nice and modern and the food was very good, although after 2 weeks, we were happy to reclaim American fare. Needless to say the Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Terra Cotta Warriors and Guilin were beyond belief! We were very pleased with all aspects of our tour with ChinaPac...Cindy Liao (of the famous Liao Dynasty, I presume...900-1000 A.D.) made things go very smoothly, especially when we through her a curve with adding on 3 days at the Beijing Hotel at the last minute. Thank you both for a memorable and smooth experience! We will talk ChinaPac up to all of our friends!
Paulette
Brecksville , OH
USA
Date of Review: 5/31/2010
Hi Fiona, Elaine Clifford and myself have just returned Mon. the 24 th. from our "14 Day Best of the Yangtze Special" trip, and I want to sat how much we appreciated the trip and the very special people you have working in China. My friend Elaine was ill in Xian and I can't say enough about the young woman we had as a guide there, May was so good to us, and looked after us so well. All the people were so good, and the trip was run so well, I would recommend your trips most highly! Thank you for your help with our visas before, and again your guides in China are very special folks!!
Sharon
London, ON
Canada
Date of Review: 5/27/2010
Hi Cindy, We enjoyed our Beijing tour very much.Our tour guide Henry Liu really made the tour first rate. He was so helpful and informative. The hotel was wonderful and more than our expectations. The restraunts and meals were really good. The itinerary was super with lots to see and do.Again everybody enjoyed Henry so very much. He is a top rate tour guide. We will highly recommend your company and tours Thanks again,
Paul & Edna
Delacour , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 5/27/2010
We have just returned from the 14 Day China and Yangtze tour. What a fabulous trip we had!!! We were met in Beijing by a wonderful, young national guide, Cecilia, who traveled the entire trip with us. In each city we had fine local guides who took us to the highlights in their areas. The accommodations, meals, tours and staff were exceptional. The journey on the Yangtze aboard the East King was highlighted by the scenery and tours on shore, of course, but also by the delightful crew who entertained us in the evenings. It was a relaxing few days in the midst of a busy and varied itinerary. This tour covers everything and more, that a first time visitor to China would like to see. Highly recommend it!
Wendy & Michael
Vernon , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 5/19/2010
Hi Jacquie…here is the note I promised you about the trip to Bali you booked for my husband Paul and myself. We were extremely happy with the service you provided. Thanks so much for answering all my questions so quickly and for handling our reservations in such a professional manner. I would be very happy to use you for any future Asia bookings. We really enjoyed China Airlines, and everyone we spoke to in Bali who used them felt the same. Everything went on time and the flight crew were wonderful. Even the ground crew were so nice, standing beside the plane waving goodbye as the plane backed out from the gate. Very impressive. The tours that were arranged through Panorama were great. My only complaint was that we had a couple of problems with the hotel reservation and it was due to Panorama, so I wasn’t too impressed with this part of their service. The situations got resolved but only thanks to the hotel being able to accommodate us at the last minute. It could have been very bad. The Aston Bali is wonderful and I would highly recommend it to your clients. Thanks again for all your hard work…we really appreciated it.
Barbara (Metronome Tours)
Picton , ON
Canada
Date of Review: 5/18/2010
Hi Jackie: My husband and I just returned from China on May 14, 2010 and I wanted to tell you how very much we enjoyed the tour. In fact the whole thing went without a hitch and the guides along the way were excellent. In fact the two national guides did a wonderful job. Everyday was a new adventure and when people ask what was my favourite place, I'm hard pressed to find one place. The accommodations were truly 5-star, the restaurants were palatial, and the food beautifuly served. Our baggage was carefully taken care of so that we would arrive at the various airports only an hour ahead and be presented with our boarding cards - no hassles! Value for money was incredible, we would have expected to pay double. This will not be our last trip with Chinapak. If anyone has any questions please e-mail
Pam & Chris
Nanaimo , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 5/13/2010
Hi Sandy here we are back from our Peking tour everything went wonderful you did a great job and we are very grateful for all you did on organazing the whole stay in Beijing, Nina the tour guide and George the driver in Beijing were two of the best in the bussiness of hospitality with a great knowledge of all the China region and sites, we became good friends and we laugh a lot.
Jose & Irma
Orangeville, ON
Canada
Date of Review: 5/11/2010
Hi Jacquie, We just completed our 17 day Grand China tour plus the extra day at Shanghai Expo. It was a FABULOUS trip!! The tour guides and drivers in each location were wonderful: on-time, personable, and knowledgeable. The guides spoke excellent English. It was especially good to have local guides because they would suggest some timing changes and it made it much easier/better to do the activity. For example, in Chongqing, the guide suggested we do Dazu first and then the Zoo and in Shanghai, the tour guide suggested we do Suzhou on the Friday and then tour Shanghai on Saturday. In both cases we were able to have less traffic congestion. The activities we did were awesome. The variety of sites/activities as well as the pace were just perfect. Chinapac was recommended to me and I have been extremely pleased. I am recommending the Grand China tour and Chinapac to my colleagues and friends. Thanks again for all of the organization.
Marie and Ken
Calgay , AB
Canada
Date of Review: 5/10/2010
My wife and I have just returned and would recommend this kind of a trip to first timers to China or visitors planning a short but varied tour of China. Not knowing what exactly to expect when we went, we came away with an eyeopening glimpse of a vibrant and changing society of a country firmly and surely ensconced in its position in the 21st century. Our one regret; we wish we had more time when we were in Shanghai to visit the various shops in Huai Hai and Nanjing Roads. We realise this kind of tour may not lend itself to this, as it is to expose the sights and sounds of China to the traveller. To this end, it succeeded wonderfully. Not only was your front end person in Vancouver (Jackie) helpful, we were lucky to encounter a young man with exceptional organizational skills .Your chief tour guide, Alex, who coordinated on the ground our whole tour, was very knowledgeable and up to date. Indeed, all the local tour guides were very friendly and knowledgeable. The accommodations were first class and the tour bus drivers were very professional and excellent drivers. The Yangtze cruise was very, very nice.
Dr. Ken
Vancouver , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 5/6/2010
Hello Sandy, I know we've been back from Beijing for a while - we're just tryng to catch up on all our emails and fixing up the thousands of pictures we took along the way. I wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you. The trip was fabulous - we were a small group, which was very nice and everyone got along very well considering we were all strangers to each other. The hotel was a little far away, but we soon learned how to get around using the subway and the taxi's. All the restaurants were nice and clean, the food good (but far, far too much of it!). Our tour guide, this time (this is my 2nd trip with chinapac) was Charlie and he did a very good job & made it fun for us. We were all his "Charlie's Angels"! I recommend Chinapac to all my colleagues and family when they plan to go to China and other areas - I always tell them to check your websire first. Thanks again,
Collette
Burlington , ON
Canada
Date of Review: 4/28/2010
Hi Sandy, It was a very nice visit to Beijing. I enjoyed it very much. The hotel (New Otani Chang Fu Gong Hotel) was very good and in a great location where I could walk to different local neighborhoods. I greatly recommend this hotel to other tourists. Their breakfasts are always fantastic. Room service great. I told them they did not have to change my bed and towels everyday to save energy costs, so I didn't expect to see anybody coming to my room each day. But they still showed up twice a day just to give me two bottles of water and then to clean out my garbage bins.
But the key thing I would like to recommend is our local guide. Her English name is Candy. Chinese name Tao Junyan. She was phenomenal, truly so. Her comprehension of English was 100%. Her attention to details 150%. Candy paid attention to each one of us, remembering every little thing about each of us --> and to take care of these things when needed. Phenomenal knowledge of everything from tour sites to even anything we happened to point at through the car window --> she always had an answer and a story behind each thing, sometimes even a personal story about her own experience.
A good example of her attention was when we (the tourists) were having dinner below the theatre where the Peking Opera would take place after dinner. Candy took our jackets and personally put them in the seats where we would sit in the theatre (so as to occupy the seats which were not pre-assigned) and she waited by the seats until we showed up after dinner. She did this to guarantee we would have good seats.
I had two other guides on this same tour -- one for the Hutong area and another guide for the extra day (the fourth day) which I had paid for. Both were quite good too, but it's only by comparison that I realized Candy was truly head and shoulder above, truly phenomenal. It's like watching the Olympics, each competitor looked very good too, but when the champion appeared, she outshined everyone.
This is not just my own opinion. The other two tourists who were on the same tour with me totally agreed. They even called Candy their "walking encyclopedia" and asked for her card so that they could contact her again in case they returned to Beijing. That was how much they liked her. They were not in-experienced tourists. They had been around the world, and this year had already been travelling since February through Laos, Vietnam and southern China before they arrived in Beijing. So they had had their share of tour guides. Even they were impressed by Candy.
I would greatly recommend Candy to Canadian or any English-speaking tourists.
Peter
Vancouver , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 4/22/2010
Hi Fiona, Thank you again for all of your assistance with our trip. A wonderful time was had by everyone in our group. It will be a pleasure to recommend Chinapac to friends. Thank you,
Catherine
Newmarket, ON
Canada
Date of Review: 4/21/2010
Hi Fiona. Just wanted to e-mail you and let you know just how much we appreciated the wonderful job Alex did guiding us throught our very enjoyable trip in China. He is without doubt the best guide we have ever had. We have had many guides over the years and he certainly stands out as the best. There were many in our group who expressed the same comment. He is very knowledgable and has the most wonderful senese of humor , which goes a long way when dealing with a varied group of people. He was very organized and just a joy to get to know. He certainly added to the enjoyment of the trip. Everything just went like clock work. He will long be remembered as one of our favourites .
Arch & Beverly (McConaghy Tours)
Saskatchewan , SK
Canada
Date of Review: 4/21/2010
Dear Fiona: Just a note to let you know that we had an excellent trip to China. Alex, our full time guide, and all the local guides were very knowledgable. Prof. Alex was extremely efficient and managed to keep all 40 of us together and happy at all times. I do not know who could possibly surpass Alex as a guide and organizer (please pass this onto Alex as we did not get his e-mail). The tours were great and very interesting. Fiona, thank you very much for completeing all of our initial arrangements so thoroughly
Jeanette
Foremost, AB
Canada
Date of Review: 4/7/2010
Hi Fiona, Thank you so much for arranging this last minute tour. We had a great time and both the driver and the tour guide Jane were amazing. Thanks
Britt
Calgary , AB
Canada
Date of Review: 3/22/2010
Hello Sandy and Jacqueline, I would like to send you a special thanks for the wonderful tour we took to Taipei and Bali on February 25 - March 9! China Airlines did a fine job, and made our long journey a comfortable one. We were very impressed by both of the tour operators (Cindy in Taipei and Maddy in Bali); and the hotels you chose. I loved the Ramada Benoa in Bali; it was just like a palace from the 1920's...and I felt like royalty when staying there. The Fullon Hotel in Taipei was a nice contrast, all very modern and pleasant. The tour operators were very good and thorough, and Cindy in Taipei did an especially thoughtful job. She went out of her way to see that all our questions were answered, and that we were able to do everything we wished to do! The Lantern Festival was a true highlight in Taiwan, and shouldn't be missed. I would also like to thank you for putting in a lot of "downtime" in Bali; as we certainly enjoyed the time to relax and get a real feel for the Island. Some of our group took this opportunity to take an elephant ride in the mountains, and enjoyed this immensely. In conclusion, everything went according to plan, and you did provide an outstanding experience. We shall be happy to deal with Chinapac, and send clients your way. Hope this affords a lasting relationship with your company! With Warm Regards,
Nanci (Travel Leaders/Hertzog Travel)
Lynnwood , WA
USA
Date of Review: 3/22/2010
Hi, I am writing this email to commend the work of your agent: Jacqueline Jing. Jacqueline recently helped me with a file which required ticketing many flights. To add to the challenge, the clients were flying through Vancouver during the Olympics, and some of the tickets had to be done through a local agency overseas....during the New Year holiday period! But Jacquie rose to all of these challenges! She kept in constant touch with me and and responded quickly to my many emails and phone calls. Jacquie is a talented agent who gives excellent service! I look forward to working with her again!
Lorraine (Mayfield Travel)
Edmonton , AB
Canada
Date of Review: 3/22/2010
Hi Cindy, Nice to be back, but sad too. We had a great time, and our tour guide, Anna, was wonderful. She was very knowledgable about everything we visited; always on time, and very flexible about making changes if we needed to. It was great that we were the only 3 on the tour, as we didn't have to work around other people. We had to cut the last day due to flight availability, but it all worked out as we started the tour on the first day instead of leaving it free. We saw everything on the itinerary, with a few things on top. I am very grateful to our driver, Mr Jung, as I have never seen anything like Beijing traffic!! Thanks again for your help, and I will be reccommending you to anyone considering a similar trip.
Matt
Vancouver , BC
Canada
Date of Review: 12/11/2009
Our trip to China was great. Your arrangements for private touring went very well. Hopefully I can drum up some more business for you.
Bill (Cruise & Vacation Specialist)
Edmonton , AB
Canada
Date of Review: 12/3/2009
Hello Jenny Thanks for the photos. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to China as well as the cruise on the Yangtze River. Personally, I believe in the quality and reliability of the products ChinaPac offers. In Montreal, the largest competitor is Vacances Sinorama which offers to potential clients very alluring pricing. Although at first glance itineraries appear similar, programs offered are not identical to those offered by ChinaPac. After talking with a friend who purchased a holiday package with Vacances Sinorama, I have come to the conclusion that ChinaPac selects hotels of higher quality, especially outside Beijing and Shanghai. As well, your tour guides are exceptionnal, very professional, very experienced and have a great ease in understanding the language used by members of their tour group (hence reducing the language barrier). I also appreciated that the drinks were included with each meals....less confusion around the table. I would note that although the cabins on the ship are of a good size for a river cruise, they did not live up to the expected 5 star rating advertised when using the American 5 star standard. Overall, I am convinced that the quality of your product is a result of this attention to details and that you are in a position to guarantee us a quality product. Thank you for a memorable trip. Roland and I, hope returning to China in a near future. We wish you and your family a Happy Holidays . Also a good word for Fiona. She was of great help, always available and very patient when I needed information and when Roland needed his passport.
Lorraine
Montreal , QC
Canada
Date of Review: 12/1/2009
Hi Jenny, I truly enjoyed the trip despite the flu. Out of all of the tours I have taken worldwide this was definitely the best as far as sights, level of service, and personalities of fellow tour passengers. Thank you for making it a memorable trip.
Rani
Canada
Date of Review: 12/1/2009
Dear Fiona We are back from our trip "" China and Seoul South Korea "" We hade a very good time in China The hole trip was good and well-regulated. Special the day before and after the trip . On arrival a guide was waiting for use and brought use to our hotel. The last day after a wake up call at 5 o,clock in the morning the quide was there and brought use to the air port. The begin off the cruise was not so nice , the ship was in Nanking 6 hours by bus . My problem is I am 1.91 mtr long , too long for the coach in China For a short time is at ok , but now was it a long sit. We had allso what snow , with the train ,planned 11 hours , but with the snow 21 hours . I enjoyed this very much . Now I sow by day time a lot . And there was no food on the train , and now came Tony untill his best . He organized food in middle off no were . So you see Both Anne and I had a very pleasure time Tony was the best in everything Speciale as you know that he travelt with 10 women and only two man . And all the local guides were good Thanks for your organisation
Anne and Ted
Netherlands
Date of Review: 11/23/2009
Dear Fiona, Thank you for arranging our China Tour. It was excellent and Frank was a superb guide. He had a great personality and was concerned about our whole group's likes and dislikes. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. He definitely went beyond the line of duty. Jeff was a very good guide also. I would reccommend China Pac to anyone who wishes to go to China . And I hope you request Frank for other travellers. They won't be disappointed.
Maryann
White Rock, BC
Canada