China Travel Service offers ‘good value’

My husband and I were in China for 2½ weeks, Oct. 10-28, 2016. We visited Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an and Lhasa and went on a Yangtze River cruise.

Upon the recommendation of an ITN reader, I used China Travel Service (San Francisco, CA; 800/899-8618, www.chinatravelservice.com) to help plan and arrange the trip. I began working with them about 10 months before our trip.

The company is headquartered in Hong Kong but has offices throughout China and, indeed, the world. Vera Rosario, the outbound-travel manager in San Francisco, was knowledgeable and outstandingly helpful. All of her recommendations were spot-on.

The basic cost of our trip was near $6,000 per person — not cheap, but with all that China Travel Service offered, we got very good value for our dollar. The price did not include international flights, but it did include air and train transportation within China, private guides and drivers in each city, 4- and 5-star hotels and many meals.

On a suggestion from Vera, we decided to upgrade on the Yangtze cruise at around $100 each, giving us an upgraded cabin and dining room, free Wi-Fi and free or discounted drinks at the bar. I highly recommend the upgraded status. It’s a bargain.

At each city, a guide met us at baggage claim, took us to the car and explained what we’d be doing during our stay. He or she helped check us in at our hotel, and at the end of our stay in each city, we were driven to the airport or train station.

The guide went inside the airport with us, took us directly to the check-in desk (a big help, since there can be hundreds of check-in desks at Chinese airports) and walked us to security. 

All of our guides were knowledgeable, accommodating, eager to please and friendly. We truly liked each one. 

My husband and I are seasoned travelers, but I did not want to tackle China alone. I’m glad I didn’t. This trip was personalized, and our itinerary was somewhat flexible. If we were to do this journey again, we would use China Travel Service and Vera without hesitation.

DOROTHY BOTNICK Dallas, TX