Wendy Wu Tours Reviews

This was our first tour and we were extremely impressed by the organisation and the standards. The size of our group (19) was not overwhelming and allowed us to get to know our fellow travellers well. Our guide Jason was absolutely outstanding at his job. He was caring and knowledgeable with a good sense of humour, which added to the experience. 

A fantastic way to see a lot of China and leave a desire to return and see more.

I had wanted to do a tour of China for a long time and to see the Pandas was one of the most important things that I wanted to do, I went on my own but felt completely included the group. The content of the tour was brilliant and our guide Alison was really good as were the local city guides that joined us as we moved from place to place. The knowledge of each of the guides was very valuable.

A perfect way to be introduced to the customs, food, scenery and history of Japan. It gives a springboard for a future visit and having a group that blended UK, Australia and New Zealand tourists worked well.

An amazing holiday, we saw so much. We were very lucky to have Dan, such a committed, professional and caring guide. We also had knowledgeable and friendly local guides. Our biggest stroke of luck was the great people we travelled with.
We came back exhausted but very happy.

Booking was straightforward and clear and I was able to easily access my booking to add information required.
I can’t comment further until I have been on the tour

We had a fantastic holiday with a great group of people. Everything was organised for us, so all we had to do was turn up at the appointed time each morning and the whole day was planned for us.

Our main guide was lovely and stayed with us throughout the trip, including at the hotels. We also had a different local guide at each destination, all of whom were extremely knowledgeable about the local area and its history.

The food was plentiful, although don’t expect it to be anything like your local Chinese takeaway!

A few things worth knowing before you go:

You do need to be reasonably fit for this trip. There’s a lot of walking and I’ve never climbed so many steps in my life! Invest in a good, comfortable pair of walking shoes or trainers.

Don’t expect Western-style toilets when you’re out and about. Most are squat toilets, which take some getting used to. Take your own toilet paper or wipes, as supplies can be in short supply outside the hotels. I’d definitely recommend practising your squats at home!

Language can also be a barrier, as not many people speak English outside the hotels. I found a translation app invaluable, particularly when I picked up a nasty cold and needed to visit a local chemist.

If you want to keep in touch with home, you’ll need to use the hotel Wi-Fi or buy an eSIM before you travel, as making calls and using mobile data can be expensive.

There’s no need to pack lots of dressy clothes. Apart from the Yangtze River cruise, there’s very little need for anything particularly smart, and even then, anything goes! During the day it was generally shorts and T-shirts, with lightweight clothing for the evenings. Quite often, though, we’d go straight from a day of sightseeing to a restaurant without having the opportunity to change.

Be prepared for some long and tiring days, especially when you’ve climbed hundreds of steps and walked miles. There isn’t a huge amount of free time for shopping or wandering around the markets selling the usual cheap tourist souvenirs.

Laundry facilities were also limited. I only found one hotel with a self-service laundry, which was free; the others offered a drop-off and pay service. By the end of the trip, we were running short of clean tops and having to wear some things more than once, so pack accordingly!

My highlights:

There were so many, but my absolute highlight was the Great Wall of China. When we arrived and I looked up at the section we were going to climb, I honestly wasn’t sure I’d make it to the top. The steps are all different sizes, and some were quite a challenge. However, nobody rushes you. You go at your own pace and stop for a rest whenever you need to.

The people coming down were so encouraging, cheering everyone on as they made their way up. I did make it to the top! I kept telling myself to keep going because I’d regret it if I didn’t get as far as I could. And it was absolutely worth it. The views were something else, truly amazing and something I’ll never forget. Just thinking about how all those people built it is remarkable.

Another highlight was the Terracotta Warriors. You really do need to see them in person to appreciate just how magnificent they are.

We were really glad we chose to do an organised tour, as I think trying to arrange everything and navigate the country ourselves would have been quite stressful.

Would I recommend Wendy Wu Tours? Absolutely!

From the initial booking right through to the end of the holiday, they’ve been brilliant. Any questions we had were always answered promptly, politely and in a very friendly manner.

All in all, a fantastic holiday, wonderful experiences and some very special memories. I’d thoroughly recommend it!

Really interesting holiday, interesting cities lovely countryside felt very safe , lots of coffee shops not too expensive loads of first rate public toilets

Many of Japan's most iconic buildings and beautiful gardens visited on Honshu in a couple of weeks. However, because of the large area covered, many hours were spent travelling by coach and in some locations we were very rushed and sometimes there was not enough time to visit everything, and we stayed in 8 different hotels! The hotels, restaurants, coaches and drivers plus arrangements were good as was the guide whose English was excellent.

There were lots of good things about this holiday, but it was let down by planning that was on occasion substandard, and there were a number of occasions where excursions did not take place as scheduled. With two notable exceptions the food was very disappointing - by and large we were taken to restaurants which were not of particularly high quality, and we were normally given no choice as to what we would eat. It became a standing joke among the group that we would expect to be served Moroccan salad followed by Chicken Tagine!
Overall I feel that I paid a premium price for an experience that was significantly less than premium.

The tour was thinking full on. Also the hotels and food was poor quality.

An excellent trip, very well organised. This was our first experience of an organised tour and it did not disappoint!! Wendy Wu did an excellent job, guides were knowledgeable, helpful and they seemed genuinely keen to make sure everyone had an excellent experience. Was it tiring? Yes it was because you pack such a lot in. Could we have done it independently- definitely not! Were we looked after well - yes indeed. Hotels were of an excellent standard, cannot fault them. Food was fantastic. Will we ever forget this trip - absolutely not. Do we have more knowledge about China now - yes bucket loads. Most importantly did we enjoy it and would we recommend it - yes to both. Would we book with Wendy Wu again - definitely.

Booking was easy and representatives I spoke to were very helpful but as I only booked yesterday I can’t comment on anything else.