Testimonials

1. Grand Tour of China

   This was truly an amazing and mind-boggling Tour of China!  I have travelled with Riviera before and always been impressed with their commitment and care for their clients.  This trip was no exception.  Our leader Tihana was outstanding - at every moment making our trip as problem-free and enjoyable as possible – and always with a wonderful sense of humor.  Local guides were also of a high standard. 
   The Tour covered all the highlights I had wanted to see of this vast and astonishing country, and more!  The Great Wall was stunning in its unexpectedly beautiful rural setting, and the Xian warriors take your breath away.  Beijing was an eyeopener.  Its size, bustle, dreadful traffic jams and high-rises revealed a soulless side of the city, but its other highlights made up for this.  The pensioners dancing, singing, gaming and playing together in the beautiful gardens of the Temple of Heaven showed a wonderful alternative to a retirement spent in front of the “telly”.  Shanghai was a joyful contrast with its more glamorous and record-breaking high rises, colourful streets, colonial buildings and flowers.  I was fascinated by the hauntingly-beautiful and evocative charm of the Li river with its “Avatar” mountains and the amazing rice terraces of Longshen - it was like travelling through the mists of a traditional Chinese painting.  And the stunning Three Gorges and Dam far surpassed my expectations.  Our accommodation throughout was excellent and the cruise boat, though large for my taste, still had a friendly as well as luxury feel.  And everybody loved the antics of the adorable Chengdu Pandas!
   Overall our visit was a revelation.  What the Chinese people have accomplished in the space of a very few years - both the good and the bad - is astounding. And gives us great food for thought! Talking about food – it was exceptional, on most occasions ultra-fresh and delicious.  It is a pity the wine is expensive but a kind of beer is a reasonable substitute.  Of course the pace of the trip was hectic in parts, but there were always opportunities to relax, enjoy and reflect on a country full of total contrasts which never cease to surprise.  I shall never forget travelling on a train at over 430 km/hr, nor a city of 34 million (Chongqing), rising breath-takingly above the Yangtze, that I had never even heard of before my visit. Thank you, Riviera.

2. Classical Spain Tour

   A thoroughly enjoyable interesting and inspiring tour.  The guide, Clive, was knowledgeable and informative.  Recommending good restaurants and places of historic interest to see.  Visiting the towns of Rhonda, Seville , Cordoba and Granada was a fantastic experience.  It was very educational learning about the history of the region.  We came back home rejuvenated from the trip, and will probably go on something similar in the future.

3. India & Nepal Tour

   We are still reeling from our wonderful holiday in India and Nepal with Riviera Travel.  India was a cacophony of sights, smells and sounds that will never be forgotten.  We saw so many amazing sights but the top favourites with us were The iconic Taj Mahal, which completely lived up to our expectations.  Our favourite activity was the boat trip along the Ganges in the evening when we saw the cremations taking place at the side of the river, whilst nearby there was the Hindu ceremony of Aarti taking place with many candles and chanting and drumming.  We were given candles to float down the river and it was magical watching them twinkling on the water.

   Our time in Nepal began with an early morning flight up into the Himalayas where we saw Mount Everest towering up above the other mountains.  This truly was the experience of a lifetime and we can still scarcely believe how lucky we were to have such an opportunity.  There were still further treats in store, however, and our visit to Chitwan National Park began when we were greeted by three elephants upon which were painted Happy Birthday messages for Catherine and two other lucky birthday girls.  It was hard to know whether to laugh or cry it was so overwhelming.  Chitwan Park gave us all a chance to relax despite the many activities such as elephant safari followed by elephant washing.
   
   Christine Walker the Tour Manager was truly remarkable, keeping the whole trip running smoothly and efficiently.  She was very kind and caring as well as having an excellent sense of humour.  I think we all felt quite bereft when we had to start making our own decisions and finding our own way around airports when the time came for us to return home.

4. Rajasthan, the Taj Mahal & Amritsar’s Golden Temple Tour

   Just returned from this wonderful trip. The visit to the Golden Temple at Amritsar was a stunning start to a tour that improved day by day.  The pace of the tour was necessarily fast to fit in all the things we had to see and do.  The trip to the Taj Mahal in the early morning was superb (thanks Riviera for the group photograph by the Taj - a lovely touch). The camel fair at Pushkar was a highlight - I don’t think any of us had ever seen anything like it before - and combined with the evening tour to the local holy bathing that’s it was a truly memorable experience. The hotels were all very good with the Heritage Hotel at Khimsar Fort bringing a welcome day’s rest and lovely buffet in the unusual restaurant on the ramparts.  The journeys on “the big orange bus” with superb driver Mr Ghan and his ever-smiling helper Sonou,  plus the train to Pushkar, the jeeps at the Amber Fort and the Tuk-Tuk ride in Jodpur were all great fun.  Thanks particularly to Tour Manager Richard Hochuli and local guide Abbi Singh who worked very well together.  Richard’s patience and relaxed good humour added greatly to our enjoyment of the holiday.  How he kept our large (38 people) group together and got us all to the right places at the right time was nothing short of miraculous.  Thanks Richard.  Dennis and I both loved this trip and our thanks to Riviera for detailed information beforehand and brilliant organisation on this fantastic tour.

5. South Africa Tour

   My friend and I visited South Africa with Riviera Travel.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. It was well organised and very detailed.  Our Tour Guides Antonia and Ian were extremely helpful and gave every assistance possible with the travel and a history of South Africa.  It was a most enjoyable and well planned trip and one I would recommend to anyone.  It was great value for money.  Well done Riviera Travel.

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