EASTRAVEL Traveller Reviews

Vietnam - all the h’s - Halong Bay, Hanoi, Hue, Hoian, Ho Chi Minh. Variety of lovely hotels, from international chain to family run old French colonial and couldn’t fault any of them. Well informed English speaking tour guides and local drivers at all locations booked for us by Eastravel and provided by Indochina Services Cambodia - Siem Reap.. Finished on a high at Viroths - a truly amazing hotel where nothing was too much trouble. Dining at their off site restaurant was a wonderful experience.

Eastravel, Ipswich. On the ball from the get go with loads of suggestions for our itinerary.. Accommodated our various requests for tweeks (and even managed to organise a fantastic Vietnamese cookery lesson). Their suggested hotels were all amazing, with Viroths in Siem Reap being the best of a truly good bunch. See attached photos.

Rail journey from Taipei down the West side to Kaohsiung and then back to Taipei via Taitung up the east side The east side provides superb views of the mountains and coast from the train First stop was the Grand Hi Lai hotel in Kaohsiung which is a superb 5* hotel Highlight of the trip was staying at the Silks Place Hotel in the mountains Approximately one hour by Hotel coach from Hualien station but worth the effort as the views are superb

Superb service and everything organised down to the last detail

After a week in Thailand taking in the MotoGP I flew from Phuket to Jakarta and twenty minutes later my wife landed from London via Dubai. The only glitch was that her luggage missed the connection in Dubai but was already on its way on the next Emirates flight and was delivered to our hotel in the early hours of the morning. Our guide and driver met us at the different terminals in the vast airport and reunited we were on our way into the city. We stayed at The Hermitage and it was a superb hotel in the style that we like and which Eastravel knew we would like. A morning tour of old Jakarta and the first of many wonderful lunches we set off for Bandung on our overland tour of Java. Bandung reminded me of South America which was strange for a number of reasons not least because I have yet to visit South America. We stayed at the Intercontinental which was fantastic and spent a day walking around the crater of a volcano, tea plantations, taking a bath in a thermal spring and enjoying another Indonesian lunch in a local restaurant. We caught a train early the following morning bound for Borobudur. Staying at the Plataran Resort a kilometre or so from Borobudur we had a very early start to watch the sunrise from the temple - an amazing experience. We were back at the Plataran for breakfast and then enjoyed a lazy afternoon in its rather lovely spa. Our next stop was Yogyakarta. Enjoyed a gamelan orchestra and shadow puppet performance in the evening and almost as impressive was the somewhat unexpected religious rally we had to negotiate on the way to the gamelan. Visted the Kraton in Yogyakarta before having a very lazy day as it was my wife’s birthday complete with a lovely cake and bottle of wine presented by the wonderful staff at the Melia Hotel. We think Eastravel may have had something to do with this. The next day we took a few flights to get back to Phuket for some rest and recuperation. Borobudur had been on our wish list for some time and to have the opportunity to see it alongside plenty of other wonderful places in a wonderful country was simply awesome. Eastravel organised all of our flights and our overland tour of Java. It exceeded everything we expected, again.

Have used Eastravel for our travels since 1989. Independent, tailored, knowledgable and fun, they deliver everytime.

Thank you for arranging our fascinating holiday in Taiwan. Your itinerary was perfect and it gave us the opportunity to explore this beautiful island. All your arrangements – flights, hotels, trains, shuttle buses, tours, etc – worked like clockwork and enabled us to relax and enjoy our trip without worries. Your suggestions and ideas were much appreciated and enabled us to make the most of our trip. The scenery across the island was spectacular –- from the coastal regions to the high mountains in the clouds -- and we have so many wonderful memories: the bustling city of Taipei and Walter who took us on the morning tour; travelling the Pingxi Railway Line and hopping on and off the train at stations to explore the mining towns and watch the launch of the sky lanterns; the peace and beauty of Sun Moon Lake; the twisting road to Alishan through the tea plantations and into the mountains through the clouds; the early morning ride on the 4.50 am Alishan Forest Train to watch the sunrise at Chu-Shan (6.23 am) and, after breakfast, we spent the rest of the day hiking along different forest trails. In Kaosiung, we took the ferry to Cihou and explored the fishermen’s quarter; the next day we visited a fish market, walked around Central Park and then saw “The Dome of Light” glass ceiling installation at Formosa Boulevard MRT station. Kenting was delightful: a member of the hotel staff gave us a guided tour of the marine coastal park and we walked the trail around Frog Rock. The following day we walked for 5+ hours in the National Park and were fortunate to spot two families of wild macaques. The railway ride on the Tze Chiang Line was wonderful and, although it was a very windy and damp day, we enjoyed the views from the train. The onsen in our room in Chihpen. The twisting road along the Taroko Gorge to Silks Place was memorable for the views in spite of the rain, but we were fortunate it was fine for our tour to Changchun Temple, our walk along the Swallow Grotto Trail and at Cimu Bridge. Afterwards we climbed up to the beautiful Buddhist temple and pagoda on the hillside overlooking the Gorge. Our tour with Frank from Taipei along the northern coast to Keelung and Yehliu Geo Park, where the rain ceased as we walked among the amazing sandstone formations. So many incredible sights: the temples, the markets, the scenery, the flora and fauna. A memorable holiday. Your choice of hotels was excellent: from the amazing Lalu overlooking Sun Moon Lake to Caesar Park with its friendly and charming staff. Silks Place in Taroko with its beautiful garden – and aboriginal music in the evening. Royal Chihpen with our own onsen. Alishan House, where the staff wore Halloween costumes. Quote Hotel, a convenient city hotel. And the Grand Hi-Lai with wonderful views over the port from our room on the 19th floor. All the hotels were so different and this added greatly to the enjoyment of our holiday. We loved the Taiwanese food and that it changed with our location around the island. We found the Taiwanese very friendly and we met so many lovely people. Thank you again for your extremely thorough and comprehensive arrangements for our remarkable holiday. Xie, xie.

Dorothy, Cathy and Angela arranged a wonderful Tour by Rail around Taiwan, with an itinerary tailor-made for us. Their attention to detail was second to none and all their arrangements - flights, hotels, trains, shuttle buses, tours, etc – worked like clockwork and enabled us to relax and enjoy a fantastic and carefree holiday.

In September 2018 we were lucky enough to travel to Bali staying at the Bali Tropic Resort and Spa in Nusa Dua and the Alila Manggis in Candidasa. Both resorts were lovely. The Bali Tropic was all inclusive and the staff were wonderful. We stayed in a room in the main block and had a wonderful four poster bed, balcony and large bathroom with bath and walk in shower. Only criticism was that sometimes the choice for vegetarians was a little limited/samey. If you eat meat and fish there was always a very good selection. This was a fairly quiet resort with evening entertainment limited to small live music ensembles. The Alila Manggis was simply amazing. Calm, serene, wonderful staff, wonderful room, wonderful food (although maybe a little expensive). It is the place to go if you just want to relax but if you want thrills and nightlife this would probably be a little too quiet for you.

Always keen to answer questions and sort out problems. Nothing ever seems to be too much trouble.

Once again we were delighted with our arrangements organised for us to Vietnam and the experiences of the sights, sounds, smells and of course the food. We started in Hanoi and our fantastic guide arranged a test for us, strange we thought on our first day in this country. He would not leave us until we had passed it.....yes you guessed it ....we had to cross the road without his help and then we were free to explore the rest of the city in the evening 😀 Thankfully he taught us well and we had an incredible time visiting the narrow lanes and traditional shop houses. Our visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was quite thought provoking and an understanding of why he was so revered. Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple and the Tortoise Pagoda, were just opposite our hotel, and in the evening had a completely different complexity to during the day. We even joined in with the Tai Chi exercises along the bank of the river. Our trip to Halong Bay and the islets was magical. At night all the boats anchored near to each other and all that could be seen was the twinkling lights from the boats, and the sounds of the bay lapping against the boat. The views were tremendous, the cruise boat was lovely and we were spoiled with the fabulous food on board. We then flew into Danang a vibrant city which seems to have embraced the western culture with great aplomb. We then travelled to Hoi An with it’s incredible night market and bustling village. Having only stayed 2 nights, however arriving late only allowing one day to see the sights, so we will definitely return as this was a hidden jewel on our trip, However in one day we took a cycle ride, found the beautiful coastline and beach, shopped in the day market, ate street food, went back at night for the brilliant night market which goes on forever, and again ate fabulous food and experienced Iced Spring Rolls . Yummy !! Upon arriving at Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) we were immediately faced with the hustle and bustle and so glad we had passed the test in Hanoi !! Our guide took us Dong Khoi Street, City Hall, the old Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. The French influences are evident everywhere and our guide explained the knacks they had had during their occupancy. Again thought provoking. Next was the History Museum, the Le Van Duyet General Tomb, and the Ba Chieu Market. Cholon (Chinatown) and the Chinese Medicine Street was a test of reactions dodging bikes, mopeds and cars. Crazy but exciting. Then more culture of the Thien Hau Pagoda to finish our tour of the day. The next day was our trip to the Cu Chi a Vietcong base during the American War. Stretching over 200 km, this incredible underground network. This was incredible and a fete of tenacity shown by the Vietcong . We even went into the tunnels, and were amazed at just how small the spaces actually were. Not recommended for the claustrophobic!!! However totally worth trying. Vietnam certainly made us think how history has made such an impression upon others and how this has had a massive impact socially and culturally and not always for the best!! Vietnam humbled us in many ways, made us think about how actions can do so much damage, BUT this country has a big beating heart that delights in showing how they have overcome oppression, still trying to deal with elements of it, especially in relation to the depravity, but has some of the most beautiful history to share with us all . A visit is a must 😀

Eastravel in Ipswich Suffolk, are the BEST !! Cannot fault the ladies and their exuberance and professionalism that they use, to ensure that holiday is perfect in every way they possibly can. Would recommend them in a heartbeat 💕

Where do I start... we had an idea about where we wanted to go but had lots of conflicting advice from travel agents. We found Dorothy at East Travel and she invited us down to have a chat - finally a travel agent that put us first and really understood our needs! We spent 18 wonderful days touring Sri Lanka. Being July we avoided the South Coast, instead incorporating a few days on the stunning unspoilt East Coast!! We even shared the beach with a cow one day!!! On top of this we spent time in Kandy (cannot tell you enough how wonderful Villa Rosa was, at one point we were the only guests and treated like royalty). We then travelled to the tea region and Ella via train!! That in itself was incredible . Stunning hotel again 98 acres. The view was breathtaking. We took in nearby waterfalls and a tea factory whilst there. Then onto the beach for a break! After the beach we moved onto the cultural triangle where we once again hit the jackpot with Aliya resort - wow just wow!! We shared the pool with the South African and Sri Lankan cricket teams!!! We toured the cultural triangle climbing sigirya rock which we could see from the pool!!! We also spent an amazing afternoon on safari taking in lots of elephants so close you could almost touch them!! From here we went to our final destination a night at Leopard Safari -this was so unique. At one with nature whilst sleeping in a double bed under canvas!! We all met around camp fire for a 7 course taster dinner inc all drinks!! To top it all we saw two young leopards playing for ages on our second safari - breathtaking. Finally we headed home following a day in the capital.. we never travelled more than 3/4 hours in any one day and spending 3 nights everywhere meant we were refreshed and relaxed when we moved resort. I would not have changed a thing!

Cannot praise Dorothy and red dot (Dorothy booked us our break using Red Dot as our in country agent) enough. I spoke to Dorothy on many many occasions in the weeks and months leading up to our break. She was always quick to reply . We changed things a few times and she always made sure it was a simple process . The pack we got in advance told us everything we needed to know and much more! Once we were in country she kept in touch! I know had we had a proble she would have sorted but luckily we had no issues at all! We used a driver/guide which I think is essential to get the best and safest experience! I would have no hesitation to recommend Eastravel, we will defiantly use again! Thank you for everything Dorothy I’ve missed chatting to you 😀

We have had the most amazing holiday in Sri Lanka and just wanted to thank you for arranging this for us. From arriving at the Mud House we have been thoroughly spoiled . We have some special memories to remember our anniversary by. At the Mud House we planted a tree for our anniversary. We have had cakes and our bed decorated several times. The whale watching was brilliant we actually saw two whales and so many dolphins. we have never seen so many Elephants in the natural; habitat The accommodation at the Mud House, Aliya, Trinco Blu & Jet Wing were all fabulous, however the Palm Garden left a lot to be desired and best forgotten memories. The food was awful, dirty table cloths and very uninterested staff. We told our driver and he had had the same feed back from previous clients and when his office called to check everything was ok we also told them as well. Our driver was really good and took us to a restaurant on the second night. We are only telling you this in case you have other people due to stay there as we really would want to avoid it. Our driver/guide Thilak was excellent and helped to make our time special, nothing was to much trouble.

Eastravel are excellent. the knowledge that the hold is amazing, nothing is too much trouble. Everything runs smoothly and as it should. The go to place for a first class holiday

Northern Sri Lanka was an interesting experience particularly seeing this part of the country 10 years after the end of the civil war. This is a genuine off the tourist trail trip with many interesting sights and stories to discover. The roads are much improved but be prepared for some long journeys. Our holiday also included a Singapore extension also arranged by the operator.

We got very swift responses right from our initial enquiries to the departure day. Nothing was too much trouble and we even got answers to questions which we sent out of normal office hours.

Travelled to Hanoi, Mai Chau, Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh, Hue and Hoi An. It was a wonderful experience full of delightful people, great food and many different things to do and see.

Our guide Huan Nguyen Duc was very knowledgeable, pleasant and professional. I would have no hesitation in recommending him and would request him if we were to return. Our transfer guide from Hoi An to Danang Airport was very good, as we left some luggage behind in the car and we went and checked in. We then realised we had something missing. We were sure we would never see it again, but within half an hour he had returned to the airport and got our missing luggage back to us. We are extremely grateful to him and were really impressed with this level of service.