EASTRAVEL Traveller Reviews

For the first week we travelled through the south of Myanmar, based at Moulmein and Hpa-An, getting between the two places by boat up the Salween river. Then back to Yangon and an internal flight to Bagan, then up the Ayerawaddy to Mandalay. Side excursions from both these bases included Mount Popa and Pyin Oo Lwin. A flight to Heho and a night at Kalaw was followed by a two day trek ending at Inle Lake, Then a flight to Thandwe and four nights at Ngapali Beach. As well as learning so much about the country, and finding people very easy to talk with, we explored by water and on foot, snorkelled, caved, and most memorably ate a lot of wonderful Burmese food. We didn't know what to expect - it is a relaxed, friendly and safe place, exotic and unspoiled.

Lots of consultation ensured that our personal tastes for accommodation and programme were met. We knew next to nothing about Myanmar when we planned the holiday, and when we arrived we realised how well Dorothy had done in her choices for us. The local tour operator was obviously an excellent choice as our guides were a lot more informative and capable than those with other travellers. It was a complicated itinerary but it was all arranged very efficiently. The only slight hitch, where one item of our luggage didn't arrive, was speedily resolved without our having to do anything. Full marks to Eastravel.

We found ourselves in a fascinating country where everyone without exception was friendly and helpful. The history is fascinating the Portuguese having played a great part. Stories of the previous Sultan and the input of the present leader show why this is now such a progressive country. Muscat Nizwa Sohar all are special in their own way, the market in Nizwa is not to be missed. We self drove and the desert drive to 1000 nights camp should not be taken lightly they have been obliged to place the camp deep in the desert and the law does not allow for plentiful signing the way is not clearly defined and the hand drawn map leaves a lot to the imagination, once there the drive becomes secondary it,s a magical place. At the moment there is huge investment in infrastructure so there are endless road works and diversions but driving is a pleasure , watch out for strange and sudden changes in speed limits most don,t make sense . Also they have a gift for spelling a place name in numerous ways. Bottom line go there .

Dorothy is Dorothy

Very professional, punctual and reliable.

We travelled to Bangkok and Myanmar. Within Myanmar, Eastravel arranged a perfect itinerary for us. The hotels were very centrally located and allowed us easy access to the places we were visiting. We like to travel independently and not feel restricted and in this respect we were utterly delighted. The hotels were comfortable and often boutique in style which suited us perfectly. The places Eastravel recommended for us to visit were excellent and provide a fine balance between days spent indulging in culture and history with relaxation whether that was in the form of a meander through markets or a lazy day on the beach.

We have built an excellent relationship with Eastravel over the years and always turn to them for help whenever we are planning to travel East from the UK. They understand our requirements and offer a tailored solution. We work together to form a trip that goes way beyond the packages that most other operators offer. What's more, whenever I've needed to call on Eastravel's support whilst I've been away, they have been absolutely amazing in their response. I highly recommend their service.

We travelled to Beijing to explore this fascinating city. We marvelled and took in the wonders of the Great Wall of China. We flew to Xian to see the exquisite detail of the Terracotta Warriors. From Tianjin Port we boarded the Sapphire Princess for a wonderful 17 day Grand Asian cruise. We visited six countries including dazzling Hong Kong before leaving the ship in Singapore. Here we experienced the famous 'Singapore Sling' at the Raffles Hotel and ate at the romantic Ku de Ta restaurant at the top of its highest building. We flew to Dubai and took in the stunning view at the top of the Burj Khalifa and finally, flew to Qatar to spend a relaxing week catching up with my daughter before sadly heading home. This was a holiday of a lifetime and one that will always stay with us.

We could not of done this trip without Dorothy and her team at Eastravel in Ipswich. Dorothy's knowledge of this part of the world proved invaluable. When planning the holiday she guided us through the many possibilities with expertise and patience! It seemed as though we were her only client. By the time we had our itinerary and tickets in our hands, I felt we had made a true friend. One I wanted to take with us, as how could we cope without her! All visas, flights, hotels, limousines, guides and trips arranged worked without one hitch. Thank you so much Dorothy and her wonderful team at Eastravel, we will be back.

Dear Dorothy, Just to let you know that we are back from our wonderful holiday. Everything seemed to work very well and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and Myanmar lived up to expectations. The first two days in Yangong were very interesting but the crowds at the Shewdagon Pagoda were unbelievable. It was however very impressive. We enjoyed our trishaw ride on the second day and it was interesting to see the other side of the river on a very crowded local ferry. Our guide in Yangon was probably the best we had and she was delightful. Bagan was very impressive but we had to change the arrangements to travel by minibus instead of bicycle. There was no way that we were all going to be able to manage this! My only complaint was the food in the hotel which was not good. However the rest of them did not agree with me! It was a beautiful hotel but very pretentious in my view - possibly because Obama was due to visit! The excursion to Mount Popa was very interesting and also a chance to see the countryside and the manufacture of all the products from the palm tree. We did not consider the balloon flight when we planned the holiday. I am sure this would have been good but very expensive! The cruise to Mandalay was truly magnificent and was one of the main highlights of the holiday. The service and food were impeccable and it was very relaxing to watch the world go by. We were actually on the Paukan 1947, which is a beautifully renovated boat built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in Scotland,and not Paukan 2007. I think we had the better deal! Mandalay was very interesting. We had an initial problem with the hotel with the room allocated to us which was was in a dark corner. However they were very helpful and changed this without question. They also found a missing empty canvas bag which we could not find when we left the hotel and got it back to us in Heho through ICS - very impressive service! The visits were interesting but I did not enjoy the visit to the monastery to see hundreds of monks being fed. The river trip to Mingun was interesting and the site very impressive. Pyin o Lwin was something of a time-warp from the colonial era but the market was very vibrant. The botanical gardens were quite spectacular. Lake Inle was a wonderful experience with a fantastic hotel but we did not have a lake view as promised but the rooms were fine. We thoroughly enjoyed the boat trips and also the day of leisure which Angie and I used for a visit to the Red Mountain vineyard on bicycles. We collectively drank more of their Sauvignon Blanc than you can possibly imagine during our holiday and found it to be very good value. The last three days at Ngapali were most enjoyable and restful. It is a beautiful place and excellent hotel. We did however have to get our room changed as they put us right at the back of the hotel a long way from the sea in a very poor room (number 041) to start with. The italian manager was most helpful but ICS should be made aware that the initial room was not satisfactory and not ‘deluxe’ in our view. All internal flights in Myanmar were quite good but the terminals are chaotic and they are strict on size of hand luggage. This is smaller than on international flights. We fell foul of this on the Yangong to Bagan flight Thankyou very much for the lunch in Yangon on our way to Bangkok. It was a very special place. Bangkok was OK and a charming boutique hotel which is vegetarian and run by a rather eccentric englishman who was very interesting. The Bridge on the River Kwai was very atmospheric as was the war cemetery. The museum was also very interesting. The traffic in Thailand has to be seen to be believed and it took us nearly two hours to get across town to the Oriental for dinner on the last evening. However the banquet was very special and the dancing very impressive. It all seems rather drab and dreary now that we are home but we have some very happy memories and lots of pictures!!!. Best wishes Will

The holiday was arranged by Dorothy Heng at East Travel in Ipswich (www.eastravel.co.uk). They were excellent. Local services in Myanmar were provided by Indochina Services ICS. They were very good with excellent/good guides. Asia World Travel in Bangkok were satisfactory.

We wanted a touring holiday visiting the villages of the ethnic people & to see their every day work & lifestyles without the obligatry tourist outlets of imported goods. East travel arranged for Indo China Services to provide a guide & transport. Our guide understood our requirements precisely & took us to places where we watched a man casting aluminum propeller blades from broken motor bike wheels & another a fishing spear gun from an old umbrella. These were only two items in two weeks of fascinating discoveries.The organization was flawless even though both guide & driver had to contend with minor hiccups such as two major landslip road closures in the mountains

See above

Myanmar is a most beautiful country to visit. So much to see and experience from hot and sticky Yangon and Mandalay to the cooler hill retreats of Hsipaw and Kalaw. We explored the temples of Bagan by bicycle and E-bike, hired a boat for the day at Inle Lake, trekking from Kalaw to list just a few activities. Three weeks just wasn't long enough.

Dorothy and Angela at Eastravel were most helpful in creating a varied and interesting tailor-made itinerary. Their response was professional and efficient. My requests for small hotels and transfers by boat and train were happily accommodated. I would have no hesitation in recommending their services.

We stayed at the Sunset Palms in Jamaica, Negril. The holiday was simply amazing! Eastravel made it stress free and straightforward for us. The rooms we spectacular and the balcony served us well for quite a few sunsets. The mini bar is stocked up with whatever you want daily and the gardener brings you fresh coconuts to the balcony. The staff couldn’t help anymore and the food was amazing. Te walk to the beach is 2 minutes max and you are escorted the whole way by the security guards. The beach food was great, the shops along the front were brilliant and anyone who complains about the workers trying to sell you stuff has far too much time on their hands! As soon as we said “we are ok thank you” they nod, wish you a good day and walk on. There was difference night entertainment every evening. We did quite a few excursions but we used the local taxi drivers mainly. They gave a much better price than the hotel itself and they would always take us to local jerk huts and give a more honest tour guide speech! We did one trip through the hotel and it was without fault, just a bit more pricey than the locals. All in all, it was a very memorable holiday.

Eastravel are very easy to talk to. I think we changed our mind about destination and hotel 4-5 times but each time, it was never too much hassle for them. We dealt with Cathy who was extremely personable and searched high and low for the best deal possible for us and always went the extra mile to meet our requirements.

Our wish was to see as much wildlife as possible during a 9 day visit to Tanzania. We stayed in 3 lodges in different areas and each had great charm and interest.

We have used Eastravel for over 20 years now and are always happy with their recommendations, particularly when we are travelling to a destination for the very first time.