Reviews

This has been the most amazing experience, truly a holiday of a life time.
Such a well organised tour, which included so many aspects of China, including historical landmark sites like the Terracotta Warriors, The Great, to the wonderful outdoor landscapes and the hussel and bussel of the beautiful Old Town of Lijiang which was magical and excellent for shopping. The tour gave a real insight to China as a country and the people their selves who were so very friendly. The days were long and busy, and therefore tiring but it made the most of the time we had in China. The Yangtze River cruise was a great way to wind down from this spectacular holiday. The hotels were very good, the food was excellent and plenty of it.
Our tour guide Gary Guo was excellent and made our holiday. The poor man met us at Beijing air port only to be greeted by us, very upset as both mine and my husbands cases had not arrived at the airport as British airways has failed to put it on our flight. We were most distressed as we had no clothes etc and due to the language barrier we were uncertain that Beijing airport understood us and all the information was correct. Gary was very calm and soon had us reassured that he would follow this up and sort it out, which he did. he kept us updated each day and made sure they were delivered to the hotel in time before we left for the next destination. making sure personally to deliver the cases to our rooms.
Gary was very knowledgeable and we learnt so much about the various places that we visited but also about Chinese people, their customs how they live. He was constantly taking care and watching out for us and the whole time in China we felt very safe in his hands. so travelling around the country went very smoothly as the holiday was arranged so well and because the guide put a lot of effort into taking care of us at tarain stations and airports, having our tickets ready to hand and making sure we were on time. A number of us on the tour fell ill with chest infections and Gary made sure to get us to a pharmacy and translated for each of us what symptoms we were experiencing so that the pharmacist could give the correct medication. He made sure we were drinking plenty of fluids and brought food to the rooms for those who were unable to make dinner. Even now a month on, he is dealing with the fact that our silk pillows which we had purchased from the silk factory, accidentally had not been included with the rest of our purchases. He has kindly arranged for the them to be posted to us, and kept us updated on their progress. We have now received the pillows. We can not sing Gary's praises enough he has gone far and beyond what we would expect of a guide, such a lovey caring man with a great sense of humour too. he really brought the group together. The best tour guide ever and we hope one day to be able to return to China, so long as Gary will be our guide again.
Just loved everything about the holiday.

Totally excellent. The first few days were quite hard - relentless schedule to ensure we got the most from Beijing and Xi'an - before heading into the country. Slower pace on the river with Guilin the highlight. Returned to civilization in Shanghai. Unforgettable.

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.

The Wendy Wu Wonders of China tour was my first trip to China. It was 16 days long and covered all the major sites you could think of; the Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Terracotta Army. Our guides were amazing. Nothing was ever too much for them. We had a National guide, Britney/Zhang Ru, who is just an amazing person. She was super helpful and one of the kindest people I have met. Our local guides were all very informative, knowledgable and passionate regarding their area/city and country, especially our Beijing guide Alan/Jiao Yang.
I would 100% use Wendy Wu again to go back to China in a heartbeat! Or even to try another country.

The tour overall is excellent and we were so pleased to have done it . The itinerary speaks for itself . The following points are things that Wendy Wu (WW) should consider .
Broadly speaking the choice of hotels are budget . Some were huge old monolith hotels . Some in business districts . All aspects that makes the room rate cheaper for WW.
WW seem to specialise in offering a full days meal every day of the tour . It’s not necessary . We don’t need feeding so much food - most of which went to waste as we certainly did not eat it ! They could make the holiday cheaper . Lunch and dinners were identical most days . Noooo!
Too much .
There were quite a number of one night stays in cities . This makes the tour very arduous for travellers taking into account the days itinerary you are encountering .
The guides were all basically excellent . Some personalities were unhelpful to fellow travellers . One was majorly arrogant and totally disinterested in what we did , eat , see and go (Shanghai ).
We did not have a National guide for our tour as we only were a party of 8 ( 10 and above qualify for a National guide). At first we thought this would be a disadvantage . However it was great ! We were all pleased that we weren’t carrying an outsider for the entire trip! Most individual guides were supportive at points of transfer eg: airports or rail stations . Some weren’t as supportive but we muddled through .
Aspects of the tour which could be broadened are :
We needed to learn more about people and their life in China . Too much focus on temples gardens and museums.
We ought to have visited a family living in a 80sq.metre flat on their 27th floor . We went to a Hutong in Beijing so why not in a modern day setting ???
The guides did not discuss human geographical aspects other than population sizes from city to city . That should be changed/improved. Aspects of the journey should offer more of a commentary as to where we are ; what the landscape and trees around us are rather than travelling in total silence or chatting to the coach driver in Chinese !

During the tour the Xi’an WW office manager liaised with most of the tour guests which was an amazingly caring and supportive thing to do and was appreciated by all concerned. She even took on board a few suggestions and made changes or tweaks to a couple of meal times .

So to sum up - yes a brilliant tour but not without a few criticisms . If WW change things we won’t get the benefit sadly but they should look seriously at these aspects .

Very well organised. Guides were excellent.
I missed my connection from Beijing to Shanghai. I needed more time.

This was a great holiday, fast pace no doubt, but to see all the main attractions this was necessary. Our group comprised of a fabulous mix of the loveliest people ever. The Mekong River Cruise was a fabulous relaxer in the middle of the trip. I have to say on a negative side the trip in Beijing to the 'Old City' was quite disappointing...just a walk trough dusty streets to arrive at what appears to be nothing short of a tourist attraction visiting an 'authentic home' which was packed with other tourists eating was underwhelming. Another low point (an area that in my opinion may be able to be improved) was the day we had the early start to get the flight to Yichang. There was a long period of time in the afternoon spent hanging about before we were able to board the boat at 19.30hrs. Surely we could have stayed in a hotel in Yichang the evening prior to boarding the boat, enabling us to have a leisurely day there and possibly resulting on us being less tired on arrival at the cruise. All in all a great holiday enabling us to see all the main attractions in China. It was just such a wonderful asset to have the help and support of your National Guide Addison. What a well informed, kind gentleman he is. He was just amazing from start to finish. Thank You Addison

I thought the tour was excellent,well constructed, interesting, with very comfortable accommodation, excellent food and an exceptional tour guide, who was well informed and good company. It was a fascinating introduction to Japan and Japanese culture. I deducted a star due to travel arrangements to and from Japan. I had only an hour to change flights in Beijing which was quite stressful. Transit is not well signed and there is no obvious departure board at the airport. It worked, and I and my luggage did not miss a flight, but it involved some anxiety, quick marching, almost running, through the airport to reach the departure gates on time. It is fortunate that I am quite fit !
I would return to Japan and book with Wendy Wu again

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Easy online booking with any queries quickly answered. Visa process very efficient and final paperwork and documents arrived in plenty of time.

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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.

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Wendy Wu, Grand Tour of China. This was very well organised, with pick up from the airport, meet by the excellent National Tour guide Summer. Check in, all transport, entry to attractions. Meals etc. The tour itself was excellent with interesting locations and places to visit. Very well run. 2 of the local tour guides stood out. Both called Cherry, the first with Three Tribes tour in the Yangtze River and in Chengdu.

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Wendy Wu were easy to book with. The daily trips out were excellent. Several stand out, Dali was beautiful in the foothills of the Himalayas, Beijing and the Great Wall. The terracotta Warriors, the Pandas, Xi’an at night and Shanghai. Sailing through the Three Gorges on the Yangtze Cruise. Loved wondering around the markets in the various towns battering for items.

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Jason Gao (National guide) was amazing and local Guide Susan in Chengdu and Andy in Beijing were good/

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Hotels at Beijing and Xi'an were good, especially the Boffo L in Xi'an (which we believe was brand new to Wend Wu Tours). Hotel in Chengdu was disappointing - staff did not speak much English, not very helpful, room was disappointing.

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Their main guide was very good, however the local guides were not upto scratch. It is a shame that the local guide in Beijing was the worst because he hardly told us anything about the places we visited. Especially considering that Beijing has more historical monuments to see than Shanghai, Chengdu or even Xian.

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The cruise was good and the places we visited were very interesting. The local guides were good.

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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.

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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

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The tour was well organised. We were taken care off from the time we arrived to our departure.

The local tour guides were very good and had sound knowledge.

Our national guide Mr. Jacky was excellent. He was knowledgeable and had lots of patience. He made everyone feel at home and was helpful throughout the trip. His presence made the trip even more enjoyable. He is an asset to your company.

The places we visited were excellent. We managed to have a bird's eye view of China and Hong Kong. All important places were included in the itinerary.

The drawbacks were the time constraint and the travel between places. Beijing and Xian were good. The travel from Xian for the Yangtze river cruise was tiring. Even more tiresome was the day we travelled from the cruise to Hong Kong. We travelled by water, land and air all in one day. We would not have minded an extra day added to the itinerary if it helped to make the pace a bit bearable. That would have given us more time in Hong Kong.

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The places we visited were excellent

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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.

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Excellent value for money, we would highly recommend to anyone interested in seeing China!