Reviews

Service rating :

It was very good overall. There were many unique experiences such as the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors, and Three Gorges Dam visit. On the Grand Tour we were able to also visit less well know places such as the beautiful Li River and unusual geology of the Stone Forest.
Our guide for the whole trip, Alex, was excellent, friendly, efficient, funny and helpful. The other local guides were also pleasant and informative.
Wendy Wu holidays enable you to visit a country such as China which would be very difficult to do by yourselves, certainly an extensive trip such as we did. Everything seemed to run to plan, such that you almost forget somebody has had to make it happen, for example getting tickets, arranging meals and transport.

Product :

It was worth doing a longer tour to include less well known places such as the Stone Forest and beautiful River Li. Wandering around the decorated streets of Dali and Yangshuo seeing shops and markets, and trying out the rice wine, among local Chinese folk was great and felt very safe.
The trip included some great shows and different optional experiences such as the Maglev train.
One or two things I would change- the rickshaw ride around the hutongs was a bit dull (although the meal we ate in a local hutong house was delicious)
I like boat trips but there were maybe too many- I would miss out the Dali lake one, because the West Lake in Hangzhou was better.
All in all a great trip and all held together by our guide, the amazing Alex !

Service rating :

Our national Guide Wendy was fantastic. She made everything run like clockwork. A feat in it's self shepherding 28 bodies around! The local guides Mai, Eddie, Amy, Jenny and Stephen were also very good, very informative , and like Wendy, good fun!

Product :

Very tiring but worth it. Food plentiful, but at some restaurants the meat was a little sparse and the Peking Duck dinner was a let down as everything was chopped up, bone, gristle, skin and a bit of meat (not like the shredded duck in English Chinese meals). Trips were very good and well organised. Hotels were mainly very good. The cabins on the Yangtze river cruise were naturally small with not a lot of storage space and a little tired but perfectly acceptable. The entertainment on the boat was very good, especially considering it was the staff not professionals giving the shows. (I sure you could mistake them for professionals!). The staff were very polite and friendly and one of the bar staff, Christina seemed to be able to remember everyone's name, amazing!
It would take too long to go into detail about the trips but for me The Great Wall stood out, but mind, be aware those steps are very steep and exhausting. The vastness of Pit no. 1 and of the detail of the Terracotta warriors. The colourful sights, sounds and smells of the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an. The Summer Palace by the lake. Three Gorges Dam and ship locks, a tribute to Chinese civil engineering on the Yangtze River cruise. The pandas at Chongqing. The Cormorant Fisherman show and having a Cormorant perched on my arm so my wife could take a picture.
Our group of 28 consisted of 21 English and 7 "Aussies" all got on well and had loads of laughs, including being stopped in the street by Chinese to take our picture, especially if one of us was Blonde or fair headed. Our guide said many Chinese holiday from rural parts where Westerners are a rarity. They are intrigued by our big noses too (but in a nice way!)
We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and would not hesitate to recommend a trip to China through Wendy Wu Tours and our particular 16 day tour "The Wonders of China "
Barry and Brenda