Reviews

We had a fantastic time - we arrived in Tokyo after spending 3 days in Hong Kong and met up with the group. The meal at the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel that evening was horrible - the chicken legs were undercooked and several people had to send their food back to the kitchen. However, after that meal everything was fantastic. Our guide was Hiro who was excellent. We saw some amazing things and Hiro was so informative and told us about so many things. Mount Fuji and Hiroshima were particularly memorable although everywhere we went to was worth visiting. We all had lanyards with cards with our names on and on the back was a message in Japanese for us to show someone in the event we got lost - which proved invaluable during a couple of incidents when we had free time and a couple of people asked someone to contact Hiro - who went to find them. Having said that, Hiro was always checking we were all there! The coaches taking us from A to B were comfortable, so were the bullet trains. We were all issued with “whispers” with headphones so we could hear what Hiro was telling us. We specifically chose to go on this trip during the cherry blossom season - I was expecting pinker and more blossom and so, if I were to go again, I wouldn’t choose to go at the same time as the blossom as it attracts crowds of people and I don’t think it’s worth visiting when there are extra people there. Making the soba noodles was fun as well as making an origami crane - and we enjoyed the tea ceremony. The food was amazing and a real mixture - forks were always available for people who struggled with chopsticks. Some of the food we cooked ourselves. I’m not sure the Japanese had grasped some of the dietary requirements but my only request was that I didn’t have anything too spicy and the food I was served with was perfect for me. There were a lot of steps but, the brochure did warn that there were a lot of steps so I was expecting this. There was a lot of walking but, again, the brochure did warn about this and the itinerary tells you how long to expect to be on your feet. There were 26 people in our group ages ranging from 40s to 80s - we all got on really well. Now, back at home, I’ve got the task of choosing the best photos from the ones my husband and I took to have a book printed to take and show all our friends!

I enjoyed both tours, the accommodation and the airport transfers that were provided by Wendy Wu Tours.

Amazing trip with lots to see and do. To fit so much in requires quite a lot of bus and train trips but we got to see many sides of Japan from large famous cities to smaller towns and activities. Hiroshima was very moving. Paper making was great fun too. Mount Fuji showed itself on both days we were in the area. You get time to shop in Tokyo and on the way. Go up every tall building you can. We did 2 in Osaka and the very high Skytree in Tokyo. We had a 3 night stopover in Hong Kong which was great as well. As on option if ending in Tokyo maybe stay a few more nights as there was a lot more to see than we could manage in 3 nights. The group we were with had a great time together. Highly recommended.

The trip was good and the guide very experienced and knowledgeble. However the group was too large 27 in total. The problem with a group this large contributed to all the meals being served eithe luke warm or cold. The explanation was they had to cater for a very large group.

The trip to Hong Kong was disappointing with the inexperience of the guide. On the first organised trip we were obliged to move on very quickly, not being able to look around as another group, who had allegedly booked had arrived. I did question the fact we were on a paid organised trip and she should not have allowed this to happen. It was really not acceptable.

Majestic Yangtze was great - our national guide Cecilia was amazing and we really enjoyed the itinerary, definitely worth it. However, Hong Kong Glimpses itinerary was communicated poorly and was just joining another tour group which was pretty average - not recommended.

This was a great holiday touring South Korea with a three day stop over in Hong Kong on the way back. The tour guide was excellent and was always available to resolve any queries and onward travel departure times for the different nationalities. The tour bus was also very good with plenty of leg room even for me at 6' 5".

Wendy Wu were very good at understanding my enquiry for a South Korea holiday with a 4 day Hong Kong extension with business class seating.

The holiday was in the main really good and had some major highlights including:
Visiting the elephant sanctuary
The eco day out to the former mines
Singapore Gardens by the bay etc
James Bond island
Hell fire pass and train ride
Plus all the hotels were good and Cougan, our Malaysian guide was really good even though he continually tried to make us over eat!
Only complaint was the Mossy Forest visit that was in our opinion highly dangerous and could have easily ruined someone’s holiday.
Not so good was the flight to Phuket that was not met by our Thailand guide, Bennie. This was clearly a Wendy Woo mess up and I believe she was a late appointment to the role. One of our group had paid for roaming so rang your office and somehow things were sorted. It was a bit chaotic because the hotel arranged for us to visit Temple that for tired folk was a bit much!
In Singapore and Malaysia, the entire group were together in one vehicle but in Thailand, we were separated and in 2 minibuses. This was a weakness and meant our guide was disadvantaged and the group were not getting one set of messages.
One day of the Thailand tour included an unreasonably early start to catch a long train journey. We all as a group agreed to travel in the minibuses instead after breakfast It was hard going and probably the least memorable day of the tour. It was interesting to be so close to the Myanmar border as this was the road route. Why did we have to sign a form to cancel our train tickets? We would suggest a rethink of this part of the tour.
Finally, we paid a lot extra for premium economy on Cathy Pacific and it probably wasn’t really worth it. Also, we would have preferred direct flights to Singapore and back from Bangkok. Going via Hong Kong was really tedious and use of the Cathy Pacific lounge would have significantly improved the boredom especially as the flight back was delayed!
We had a great time but it could have been better hence we hope these comments will be helpful - after all we were the guinea pigs for this tour and with a bit of refinement, repeats will be excellent.

Wendy Wu - A China experience with Hong Kong in focus extension beforehand October 2024.
An amazing holiday, in which I briefly visited four large cities and saw the highlights of each - Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing.
Good hotel choices, great food (western palette, nothing odd - which was a relief, in fact many dishes were suitable for vegetarians).
Just long enough at each site, it's as much as can be achieved in 12 days.
Thanks must go to national guide Gary and local guides Troy, Eileen and Jade - as well as the rest of the tour group, who made the whole experience enjoyable.

We had been to Hong Kong & Beijing before, but the Grand Tour was a whole new level of understanding of China. The trip organisation by Wendy Wu was faultless & our national guide, David He, was exceptional, showing patience & understanding where needed plus a great knowledge of China. He worked hard to satisfy Gluten / Veggy food needs – not always easy with this style of meal service. Local guides in each town were also really good. Hotels varied from good to great, with priority usually being location. The Yangshuo hotel, for example, was a bit older but we stepped straight out onto West St, and breakfast was simple but had an exceptional view. There is a lot of travel involved with 3 each internal flights & trains, but Chinese trains & airports put the UK to shame! Overall the food was at least good sometimes great. Breakfast did not always include a wide ‘Western’ selection but then we were foreigners in China - How many foreign breakfast options do UK hotels have? Bus management was brilliant – a snap of the electronic fingers & it was there. We had not done a ‘follow the flag’ holiday or used Wendy Wu before. We will definitely do both again. Thanks again David. 

If you are considering a long trip in China for the first time – lessons we learned:
> Grand tour lunch & dinner is 26 days of Chinese food, with set dishes, off a lazy susan except for a few packed lunches & the Yangtze cruise. Some of the dishes may not be to your taste – be flexible.
> You will need to handle your luggage – journeys involve suitcases + escalators + airports & stations
> Out walking at night in China - this is the safest I have ever felt either at home or travelling.
> Don’t think too hard about the tip pot, it just works, saving time & hassle.
> Alipay attached to your UK credit card is super quick & easy to use if you have an active phone.
> Install Wechat to contact family in case you cannot get Whatsapp to work – basically the same (Family will also have to install).
> VPN’s did not reliably work. But they do have 30 day money back warranty. I tried Express / Nord
> If your phone accepts e-sim, get one. Ours gave us access to Western websites with no VPN and always worked.
> You may be sharing China with lots of domestic tourists – check when their major holidays are.
> The Yangtze cruise was great & we are happy we did not upgrade either room or meal options. Upgraders were equally happy with their choice - do not worry about it.
Totally recommended.
Paul & Tracy

Very well organised throughout the holiday apart from pick up from airport Not enough information on arriving to Hong Kong Jackie our main tour guide was very professional took meticulous attention on our needs felt very secure and looked after. I couldn’t recommend him more. Sammy in Shanghai wasn’t so good. I kept asking her to walk slower ended up getting lost for half an hour in the pouring rain Lily was absolutely lovely very knowledgeable and Jackie made a wonderful team. Angie was okay but didn’t give that little bit extra unlike Jackie and Lily all the restaurants were excellent very accommodating all the hotels were clean and some were excellent. The hotel in Hong Kong nice hotel, but the rooms were very basic . The guide in Hong Kong was very knowledgeable a very nice man who looked after the two of us perfectly old transport was good from taxis, coaches and airlines no complaints overall an excellent holiday. Very good value for money. I loved the whole experience of China and Hong Kong and I would definitely definitely, recommend Wendy to anyone

Service rating :

Excellent & varied itinerary. Delivered to us with no hitchesat all.

Product :

Guides, city tours, shows, coach & food excellent.
They tell you to bring comfortable shoes. Do so, especially for the Great Wall & the fascinating three hour walk in Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City.
The offices in London & Shanghai very helpful in getting us out of Hong Kong before the typhoon arrived, so that we were able to join the tour on time.

Service rating :

Apart from Hong Kong the Tour was run very professionally by our Tour Guide Charles. He was courteous efficient and accommodating at all times. A great asset to the business.
In Hong Kong the tour guide was not as efficient, leaving behind two guests when we left the hotel for the Victoria Peak Meal. He was also unenthusiastic about helping with customer problems.

Product :

The itinerary, although hectic, took in the main tourist attractions in China and the local Guides were knowledgeable and friendly.

I would recommend this tour with reservations. It was rated one tick comfortable, well, we all thought it was very full on, quite exhausting, with such early starts and long days, but we did travel thousands of miles and saw so much.
The last Met ire Hotel was very average and the last hotel City View in Kowloon was so downtown and not very good.
We felt the add on to Hong Kong was a waste of money. The half day included tour was good but the second day, with a late flight, was a waste, we did not know where to go and the hotel only suggested going to the Ladies Market, we then took a taxi to the better area but it was not of interest. There should have been some optional extra tours to choose from.