Shanghai Holidays

This is not a holiday, it is an interesting, educational, cultural experience!
On 6th April 2024 we became part of” Ivy’s family “of fourteen. Four English, one New Zealander and the rest Australian (4 singles and 5 couples), a great combination. Due to jet lag we decided to fly to Beijing two days before the tour started-good idea.
Very few people had any English at all, even in the hotels. They did use translation app’s, to varying degrees of success. Downloading your own before you get to China is a good idea (wish we had).
Ivy, our national tour guide was with us throughout the 26 days. How she got us all from Beijing to Shanghai via three domestic flights (enormous airports with very tight security), three train journeys (gigantic stations) and all the tours without losing anyone was a mystery to us all. She made us all feel safe in an environment alien to ours. Forests of sky-high, tower blocks as far as you could see, cars, bikes, scooters and people everywhere. You couldn’t read anything or communicate.
When we arrived in a place we were met by a local guide, so had two looking after us most of the time.
Food was ordered for us by the local guides and Ivy depending on the area we were in and any group likes and dislikes of food. All dishes were put on a lazy Susan (always plenty, you won’t starve) for everyone to try. We practised with chopsticks before going- good idea, some restaurants provided full cutlery, some hunted round for forks and one had to give extra little china spoons (normally for soup) only thing they had apart from chopsticks!
On this trip you don’t need a scarf for temples or clothes for sleeping overnight on a train. You need layers as temperatures differ. A cotton cardigan was the most useful item. Thin plastic mac, sunhat, lipsil, sun block, mosquito repellent in some areas and a good pair of trainers.
All the hotels had toilet paper. Just remember to take some with you when out and about as few public loos (which are abundant and free) have paper. Some have paper you collect before going into the cubicle. Look out for disabled toilet or potty toilet or pedestal, otherwise you’re in the squat!
We averaged 12,000 steps a day (ranging from 6,000 to 19,000) at a moderate pace. Not all due to the tour, we preferred to walk round rather than sit with a coffee during free time.
Go on every optional shows/tour they offer, as they were all exceptional experiences!
Goggle and WhatsApp (blocked in China) TV in English if you’re lucky. Free Wi-Fi in most hotels.
Thank you to all the Wendy Wu staff for all your excellent organisation. All the local guides (especially Max and Bell) who introduced us to their home areas. Our very special thanks to Ivy.

This was the holiday of a lifetime and proved to be excellent value. Everything was perfectly planned and managed by Wendy Wu Tours, from booking onwards. The schedule was jam-packed and we were able to see so many different aspects of China and its long history, accompanied by local guides in each main region who put our experiences in context for us, and our national guide who was with us from start to finish and became a valued friend. I was truly sad to leave this wonderful country.
Photos:
Nothing can prepare you for the immensity of the Terracotta Warriors display near Xi'an.
Our evening river cruise in Shanghai was unforgettable.
A peaceful afternoon by the lake at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

For those that are considering the "Glories of China" offering from Wendy Wu, but remain doubtful if a multi-centre guided tour, in the best hotels with inclusive meals is a bit too expensive. May I tell you, I thought the same thing before I booked. But I am so glad I went for it. The Tour was jam packed with things to see and do. 2x internal flights, a 4 1/2 hour river cruise. Bullet train and Mag-Lev train journeys. Going to the top a skyscraper in Shanghai and viewing the city lights at night from a river boat. What an amazing spectacle. You will experience the hustle and bustle of cities and the more sedate pace of rural life. You can catch a show or two, or three. And if you're worried about the food, the cuisine was second to none, with a few local delicacies thrown in. There was always plenty to go around. Then there are the tourist landmarks, The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Yu Gardens, Xian city walls, The Terracotta army, Guilin Pagodas, and more. I came away wowed. And wanting to do it all again. Amazing!!

Service rating : Easy online booking with any queries quickly answered. Visa process very efficient and final paperwork and documents arrived in plenty of time.
Product : It was never going to be a relaxing holiday and a few of the day's involving internal travel were pretty full on but China is a big place and it has to be done. The organisation was superb from the time we were met by our national guide Eileen at Shanghai to the time she (tearfully) waved us goodbye at Beijing the tour ran like clockwork. All hotels were good by any standard and any room problems were quickly resolved. Free bottles of water were provided in every hotel. Some locations were better than others with the hotels in Guilin and Yangshuo particularly well placed for an evening stroll and see local life. Our local guides were good although they did tend to give a heavy sell on the "optional" tours on offer. The selling at the factories we visited tended to be a bit full on but then again I did manage to get a bargain at the jade factory. Don't be afraid to haggle hard and maybe you will be offered a "secret" price. We were a group of 25 with 7 different nationalities who bonded well and made the trip enjoyable.

Service rating : Fantastic experience from start to finish,
A lot to fit into a tight schedule and all completed without a hitch.

National Guide Sam and the three local guides were great and nothing was too much trouble.
Product : Fabulous tour albeit very busy,
From collection at the airport to final goodbye everything went smoothly and Wendy Wu staff were exemplary.

Tour itself was great and the places visited were amazing, this was our first tour so was unsure what to expect, but we loved the group check in at airports/hotels etc and the express entrance to the attractions etc. The group we were part of was very good and as they say we quickly became "Sam's family".
All the hotels were very good and you couldn't complain about the standard of them, only gripe would be the hotels in Shanghai and Beijing were a bit out of the city centre. That said they were first class hotels and the metro system was so easy and soooo cheap.
We loved every bit of the trip and still found time for some solo sightseeing. 10/10 in my opinion

Service rating : Excellent service. All questions about the tour and travel arrangements were answered swiftly. Information given was clear and precise.
Product : The Tour itself was very good in the choice of attractions visited. Our National Guide, Jacky, was excellent. A very pleasant young man who was very attentive to everyone's needs. The choice of hotels was satisfactory. A bit more time in Shanghai would have been good. The only down side was the hours spent on the coach and train when there were no flights available.

Service rating : My wife and I arranged our recent tour of China through Wendy Wu, booking their Majestic Yangtze Tour which started in Shanghai on 30 October and finished in Beijing on the 11th November 2018. We were met by our National Tour Guide, Lee, and were made to feel a real part of a family from start to finish. Our travelling companions were fabulous and the Wendy Wu team of National and Local Guides and Drivers were absolutely outstanding. Fluent in English and extremely knowledgeable on their beloved country, the trip fulfilled every expectation and more. We were concerned with all the travelling that schedules or arrangements would inevitably go wrong but all of it went like clockwork, seamless and stress less for us! Two internal flights, a five day cruise, a bullet train journey, transfers to and from airports and boat docks, dinner shows...all taken in Lee's stride as she ushered the "Lee Family" effortlessly from one location to the next. We cannot praise Lee enough - she even dealt amazingly with my wife's gluten free requirements ensuring a comfortable and relaxed holiday.
Product : Excellent value for money, we would highly recommend to anyone interested in seeing China!