Our tour guide Frank made some conversation but al preoccupied on his phone. Hangzhou is beautiful but your very rushed. Appears they want to get home quick. Tea plantation amazing but more sales pitch no time to walk the tea terraces they want you to buy. Lunch less than average.do tour on your own
Review by: LOIS B, October 2017
My tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable and I was fortunate to have him for all my tours in Shanghai and I received all that was promised.
Review by: Albert L, October 2017
Tour guide was excellent._br/_ . Car was so bad. For long distance tour, the car wasn't suitable. the seats were so uncomfortable, very hard. _br/_ Air Conditioner wasn't working. The driver opened the window._br/_ Can you imagine, For such long distance tour, you have to sit in the car like that ?
Review by: Leslie Yesenia A, October 2017
Amazing tour with a Frank. He is very knowledgeable and gave us great information on the three tours I took with him.
Review by: varsha612, September 2017
Tour guide Frank was great.
Review by: Amir G, September 2017
Very low level tour_br/_ The car was not clean and smelled of cigarettes, the air conditioner did not work._br/_ There were insufficient explanations._br/_ A 15-minute boat ride and no explanation._br/_ A lunch that would shame any average restaurant. The place looks like a moving movie theater. It does not look like it has been cleaned or replaced with table cloths for a long time._br/_ The Pagoda tour was a low-level round around the pagoda and that's it._br/_ A tour of the tea factory did not include explanations of how to grow tea and focused only on marketing and selling local products._br/_ It's a pity that the long journey time back and forth over 6 hours could be done by train and put in more content._br/_ This tour is not worth the money and a pity about time.
Review by: ykelrikh, September 2017
I am giving this tour a one star as I feel it was not just a waste of money it was also a waste of valuable time that I could have spent on something else while in Shanghai. The Heaven on Earth is a big overstatement. There was not really much to see. The West Lake is nice, but not nice enough to drive 3 hours in each way, there is literally one decent pagoda to see near the lake. We were picked up at our hotel at 8AM and then drove for three hours to Hangzhou. The city itself is nothing special at all, so the only thing to see there is a lake surrounded by a park. We spent about 30 minutes on the water and then were taken to a very ordinary restaurant to eat basic Chinese food for lunch. After lunch, we were taken to a mandatory sales presentation loosely disguised as a Tea Ceremony. There was no ceremony, just a quick medium to high pressure sales pitch for tea and tea derivatives. _br/_ About the drive: the driver drove like a maniac, constantly changing lanes, cutting in front of other cars while constantly fiddling with his phone texting and talking without a headset, but mostly texting._br/_ The tour guide was very non-engaging, spoke very little. A good tour guide can speak the entire drive maybe giving some info about the area or things we passed on the way. She did none of those things and was not prepared for that as she didn't even have any kind of loudspeaker with her._br/_ If you really want to see Hangzhou, take a high-speed train and then take taxi to West Lake and get a lake tour one of many tour boats crossing the lake. You will save valuable time and money._br/_ I was fooled by huge number of glowing reviews of the tour. I know have doubts about the authorship of those reviews.
Review by: ykelrikh, September 2017
I am giving this tour a one star as I feel it was not just a waste of money it was also a waste of valuable time that I could have spent on something else while in Shanghai. The Heaven on Earth is a big overstatement. There was not really much to see. The West Lake is nice, but not nice enough to drive 3 hours in each way, there is literally one decent pagoda to see near the lake. We were picked up at our hotel at 8AM and then drove for three hours to Hangzhou. The city itself is nothing special at all, so the only thing to see there is a lake surrounded by a park. We spent about 30 minutes on the water and then were taken to a very ordinary restaurant to eat basic Chinese food for lunch. After lunch, we were taken to a mandatory sales presentation loosely disguised as a Tea Ceremony. There was no ceremony, just a quick medium to high pressure sales pitch for tea and tea derivatives. _br/_ About the drive: the driver drove like a maniac, constantly changing lanes, cutting in front of other cars while constantly fiddling with his phone texting and talking without a headset, but mostly texting._br/_ The tour guide was very non-engaging, spoke very little. A good tour guide can speak the entire drive maybe giving some info about the area or things we passed on the way. She did none of those things and was not prepared for that as she didn't even have any kind of loudspeaker with her._br/_ If you really want to see Hangzhou, take a high-speed train and then take taxi to West Lake and get a lake tour one of many tour boats crossing the lake. You will save valuable time and money._br/_ I was fooled by huge number of glowing reviews of the tour. I know have doubts about the authorship of those reviews.
Review by: Oleg M, August 2017
It was unforgettable and comfortable trip.
Review by: Joan M, July 2017
It turned out to be a private tour for me. July is a slow time for group tours in this area, so the tour guide told me._br/_ The driver that picked me up from my hotel and returned me at the end of the day was great. He was very efficient, professional, spoke English fluently and answered my questions as we drove along._br/_ The guide, whom I assume was used to having more people, was uninvolved or rather, more involved with his cell phone. I wasn't really enjoying the tour much and so decided the skip the last part. Unfortunately, I ended up sitting at the train station for four hours alone, as all previous trains were booked full.
Review by: ALOK K, November 2016
It was supposed to be a day trip with bullet train to maximise time efficiency and enhance experience of travel in the famed bullet trains._br/_ It was a surprise to learn that the travel to Hangzhou from Shanghai was arranged in a A/C coach in which travel time was 3 hrs one way. No where in the voucher was this aspect mentioned and the rates charged talked about transportation in A/c coach which typically would be understood to mean within city travel._br/_ Even for the lunch - which is a part of the package - the tie up is not with any quality restaurant but with a group booking eating place that serves limited quality irrespective of number of guests 1 plate of each item to be shared between the tourist having lunch. Pointed out about the same ,extra was being offered at add on costs- which is a complete rip off.Not seen it happening anywhere else._br/_ Overall charge for the package and its delivery there is a huge gap and a feeling of being taken on a ride. Caution for other who trust that benefit of tourist is being protected and there is honest transparency in the packages being created. I have seen Bullet train package being offered at 138 wherein I had paid 169 and still got trapped on 6 hours of commute on 1 day trip.
Review by: JOHN B, October 2016
It was a rainy day and we were the only two on the tour but our guide Frank and the driver gave us a good trip in a new Buick van. Hangzhou is a beautiful city in the tea growing region and it was impressive to see the new highways and rail lines along the way. Did the West Lake boat trip in the rain and stopped at an impressive pagoda built by an emperor around the year 950.
Review by: Helen H, July 2016
The guide was very helpful and informative. The travelling by bus from and to Shanghai took more than half the time. The boat cruise on the lake was pleasant. I would have liked more time to walk around the park by the lake despite the weather being hot.
Review by: Simonne D, June 2016
Nice tour, very friendly guide!
Review by: jose w, June 2016
The driver was reckless and the trip was unsafe._br/_ The guide explained very little, his English was good but did not seem to know enough, he slept on the way back._br/_ The trip should be done by bullet train and not by bus, it takes 3 hours. _br/_ We payed for a tour, not a drive back and for plus lunch!/
Review by: irinaus97, June 2016
It was ok, the lake was beautiful, everything was very well organized, but I would have liked to hear more about history of the city. It's way overpriced.
Review by: chabh, April 2016
Beautiful city. Well organized tour
Review by: CLAYTON F, November 2015
Do not waste your money and more important your valuable vacation time in this tour. It is a 3 hour ride to and from Hangshou. When you get there you get about a 45 minute boat ride, lunch and then spend about 10-15 minutes at the pagoda. No tea ceremony. What a waste of a valuable day.
Review by: wallercj, October 2015
this tour takes you to some beautiful places - tour guides need to slow down so international tourists can enjoy the sights better
Review by: Tentay L, October 2015
My family and I had a great experience during our Hangzhou tour. Our tour guide Frank gave us an overview of Hangzhou. He was on time and was patient with explaining and giving all the facts about the tour. Overall, it was a really great tour. I recommend this agency very much. High five.
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