From the moment I decided to look into a trip to China and Hong Kong with Elysian tours, I was met with the best service from Candy. I sent an information inquiry via the website and chose the cities we wanted to visit and within 24 hours (due to time difference between the US and China) Candy had built an itinerary with the price, hotels and travel arrangements while we are in China. The only thing the price did not cover was the cost of airfare from the US which was not an issue. I did make a couple of changes to the itinerary by adding an extra day in Hong Kong due to our flight times and Candy was very easy to work with to make this happen. A few weeks before our trip, there were some concerns with our stop in Hong Kong due to the protests but Candy assured me that they were keeping an eye on that and had not had any issues other than a couple of severely delayed flights or even a cancellation but was able to get the folks on their way easily. She said if there were any changes needed on our trip, that they would do everything they could to get us to the cities we wanted.

Day 1: After a very long and uneventful flight to Hong Kong we arrived into the airport and had no issues getting through customs and getting our bags. Candy provided where we needed to go in order to get our shuttle to the hotel. They checked us in and we had to wait 15-20 minutes before leaving for our hotel with only one other stop for another person. Since Elysian is based in China, you don't get your own personal guides from the company in Hong Kong but that worked out fine. We checked into the Regal Kowloon hotel which was top notch and the staff was super nice and made it very easy to get to our room and advise us on a very good and close restaurant to get some noodles and dumplings before retiring for the night. The restaurant was to the right of the hotel and about a block down. The name was Yai Chui Pavilion Dim Sum which was incredible for a first and very inexpensive meal on our trip. The only negative with the hotel was the very hard bed. We didn't realize this immediately since we were exhausted. The next day, we asked for a mattress pad to be placed on the bed when housekeeping came into clean the room and that was done to our satisfaction. If you like a softer bed, it is advisable to ask for this immediately. The hotel was very well equipped with everything you need (soap, shampoo, etc.) and they even give you toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Day 2: Hong Kong and Victoria Peak: We had a seat in coach for this tour which means that you are on a small bus with other people but luckily for us, we had the tour to ourselves. The guide gave us some great information about Hong Kong and we had a great day at Victoria Peak, Stanley Market and the Aberdeen Fishing Village (the Sampan boat ride was optional but well worth taking the time to do that). During this tour, we did make a stop at a jade jewelry shop and they gave a little presentation on how they make the pieces of jewelry from the jade and then we were given the "option" to look and around and buy jade. This came as quite a surprise that there was "shopping" on a "no-shopping" tour but I informed Candy of this and she said they don't control the tours in Hong Kong but would make sure that clients always know they are going to do this. We did buy some jade pieces but only because we were looking for that. I'm guessing you can ask to skip that if you want and see what the guide says. We spent the rest of the day walking around near our hotel and going to a shopping district(Temple Street) recommended by the hotel which was about a 30 minute walk.

Day 3: Lantau Island (optional tour that we paid ahead of time for): Had a very rainy day going to Lantau Island on the ferry. Shuttle bus took us to the ferry landing and we took the 30 minute ride to Lantau which was a great view of the city but because of the rain and haziness, it was hard to see but a nice boat ride across. Arrived to Lantau Island and boarded a bus and drove for a little while to make a stop at Cheung Sha Beach (not much to see here). Were able to get a few photos since the rain had stopped temporarily but didn't spend very long there. We then went to Tai O Fishing Village and rode a boat to see all the houses on stilts. After this it was off to the Buddhist monastery Po Lin Monastery where we would have a nice vegan lunch. Here is where you see the giant Buddha statue. Upon arriving here, the rain became very hard so we didn't spend a lot of time outside taking photos. After lunch we then went to the Ngong Ping 360 cable car and had a delightful ride on the cable car which we were very lucky it was operating due to the rain which did finally slow down and stop. This is a great view and you can see the entire Hong Kong airport from the cable car. We were then transferred back to the hotel. You will have a different driver each time due to the fact that it is too far for the initial driver to pick you up after the cable car ride. Had a good meal at The Northern Kitchen which was very close to the hotel.

Day 4: Hong Kong to Shanghai. Had a great breakfast once again at the hotel and then boarded a shuttle to the airport for our flight to Shanghai. Check in at the airport was uneventful but be prepared to show all of your credentials before even entering the airport. Sine we arrived so early before our flight we found a bar/restaurant and had some drinks and they gave us some fries complimentary since we had ordered a couple of drinks each. Candy had given us a complete list of our guides in China and upon arrival into Shanghai, we made it through customs very easily and upon exiting with our luggage, we were met immediately by Mr. Ocean. Young guy and full of energy. We arrived to the hotel (Central Hotel Shanghai) and Ocean helped get us checked in and on the ride to the hotel we told him that we would like to see the Chinese Acrobat show and knew we would not have time to do that the next night so he made a call and got us tickets for the show. He gave us the time to meet him in the lobby and we saw an incredible show. He planned to escort us back to the hotel but had some issue getting a taxi so when he finally got one, he put us in it, told us the maximum we would pay but would probably be less. It was just a little worrisome with the taxi because of the things we had heard, but it was uneventful and did not cost anywhere near the maximum Ocean had said which was great. Ocean did call later to make sure we made it back to the hotel which was very nice to ensure his guests were very well taken care of.

Day 5: Shanghai: Ocean had given us the time to meet him in the lobby so after breakfast he and the driver were there on time and ready to go. We visited Yu Garden. We then went to the Shanghai World Financial Center ("bottle opener) which was an incredible view of Shanghai. We also saw the Jade Buddha temple. After a stop back at our hotel, we were then picked up and went to the Bund to get on the Huangpu River night cruise which a must see so that you can get a glimpse of all the modern buildings which are lit up at night with some of them having a light show.

Day 5: Shanghai to Chengdu: After breakfast, Ocean picked us up to go to Zhujiajiao Water Town. Since we had already done a sampan ride, we opted not to do so here. Ocean walked us around to familiarize us with the area and then gave us some free time to walk on our own and to shop and gave us a time and meeting point so that we could have a quick lunch before going to the airport for our flight. This is the area that you can find interesting things to eat like scorpions, bugs, etc. I did try the scorpion which was very crunchy. Ocean then took us to the airport after a great lunch and helped us maneuver to checkin and then we had an uneventful trip through security. We arrived into Chengdu and had no issue with finding Mr. Aaron for our trip to the hotel. We stayed at the Dorsett Chengdu hotel which was incredible as the others hav been. Aaron helped us check in and also helped to direct us to a place to eat. We had a very early day the next day for our panda experience so we didn't want to be out too late.

Day 6: Chengdu and panda experience: Excellent breakfast at the hotel and then off very early to meet Aaron for the ride to Dujiangyan Panda Base. This was an incredible day hanging out with pandas. We didn't get to touch them but we were able to hand feed them bamboo. We checked in and were give some instructions and a shirt and then rode/walked to where we would be cleaning the panda’s areas. After the first cleaning (moving old bamboo out, cleaning up a little bit of poop, washing down their interior areas), Aaron walked us around the entire complex to see more pandas and a few other animals they had there. We fed the pandas, had lunch, watched a panda documentary and then one more round of cleaning which mainly involved moving out the old bamboo and putting in fresh bamboo and then we were able to feed them one more time. This is something not to be missed if you are an animal fanatic. My wife was on cloud nine and we were both very glad we got this experience. We then went back to the hotel and Aaron recommended we have a hot pot and gave us a place that was right next to the hotel. We had to get there quite early and there was already a huge wait but we had no idea how long. We got a number but were very confused on when they would call our number and I was going to the hostess stand every half hour to make sure we hadn't missed it. They kept telling us we had not but we waited 2 hours and weren't sure if we had just been overlooked or not. We decided to go somewhere else to just have some noodles and dumplings. Very disappointing experience and not Aaron's fault but he probably should have helped us a little better with that to ensure we were able to get in to the restaurant or sent us to the one next door that was not quite as busy. I'm guessing the hot pot restaurant next to the big one would have been just as good and maybe we should have tried it.

Day 7: Chengdu to Xian: Aaron once again was on time to pick us up at the hotel and we visited Jinli Old Street for some shopping. One recommendation that I have is that Aaron show us around and then let us have some free time rather than walking around with us the entire time. Just like before we could have decided on a meeting spot and time. We didn't feel rushed but might have been a little better experience on our own. We then went to Wangjiang Park to see the tea houses and it has over 200 species of bamboo. Very relaxing place to see folks doing dancing and Tai Chi throughout the park. We then were off to the train station to catch the high speed train to Xian. Aaron made sure we knew where to go and explained the train ticket to us and then we said goodbye and found a place to have some lunch and drinks. It was a little challenging finding the elevator for getting to the 2nd level where the restaurants were. There might have been an escalator but we never saw one. We arrived into Xian on the train and had some issue finding Ms. Mervyn. It was a bit confusing on where to meet her and we went the wrong way because we didn't see her just after we came out of the area where the trains were. We went to the north exit and she was at the south exit. We waited for a bit and did not see her so luckily I had her phone number and was able to call her. Tried to describe where we were but that was a challenge other than giving her the door number we were standing in front of. It took another phone call from her and then she finally figured out where we were. My suggestion is that the guide stand directly in front of the doors where you come out rather than going to one side or the other and at the least, the instructions given by Elysian shoud have what side or a very specific meeting spot which they did not. I informed Candy of this and she agreed that the instructions should have been better. We stayed at the Ramada Xian Bell Tower hotel which was just as nice as the rest of the hotels. Grabbed some dinner and then went to bed.

Day 8: Xian: Ms. Mervyn had given us a time to meet her in the lobby and she was on time and ready to go after we had another great breakfast. We were off to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. This is something not to missed when in China. It is amazing the process they are going through to unearth this massive number of warriors commissioned to be made by the emperor to protect him during the afterlife. We grabbed some lunch and then went to the City Wall, Muslim Quarter and the Great Mosque. We went to the bazaar and walked around for a bit. Once again, it probably would have been better if Ms. Mervyn had shown us around and then given us a time and meeting spot to meet back up. We were not very far from the hotel but I understand that she wanted to make sure we got back there ok. Once we were dropped off at the hotel, we decided to walk around the area for a bit and then decided to go back down to the Muslim quarter to see if we wanted to buy anything. We mentioned that to Ms. Mervyn and she was shocked that we went back even though we had been there with her but had not really done any shopping while we were with her. We decided to do the optional Tang Palaced Dance show with dumpling dinner which was incredible to see. The costumes were absolutely amazing and highly recommended to see. Dinner was very good with all of the dumplings you get. Just know that they don't have any service during the show so if you want drinks, make sure you get what you want before the show starts. Ms. Mervyn then escorted us back to the hotel after the show and we had no issue in finding her after that.

Day 9: Xian to Beijing: Ms. Mervyn picked us up at the hotel and we went to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and the Xian museum and then it was off to the train station for the high speed train to Beijing. She escorted us into the train station and showed us where our train would be and then helped us to get some lunch. Upon arriving on the train in Beijinig, Mr. Jeans had his sign and knew exactly which car we were in and met us right at the door to the train. I'm guessing they can do this sometimes and sometimes they aren't let into where the trains are, but maybe because of the issue we had in Xian, Mr. Jeans did everything he could to make sure we could find him. We stayed at the Novotel Peace Hotel which had an amazing lobby so we had high expectations of our room which was a disappointment but we didn't know to ask why such an outdated room. Mr. Jeans even escorted us to our room but didn't say anything about that we had the wrong room assigned. I did let Candy know about this, but I should have said something earlier but we didn't know. Their clients are supposed to be assigned the renovated rooms. We had Peking Duck at a place he recommended. It was great and is a must do when in Beijing.

Day 10: Beijing and the Great Wall: Mr. Jeans met us promptly at the time he stated for our trip the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. We went to the Mutianyu area of the wall. We had to walk up a little bit to get to the cable car that would take us to the wall. Once on the wall we walked close to 2 miles to the left towards the large staircase with the intention of climbing the 634 steps which we both did and Mr. Jeans stayed with us the entire way. We then drove to Olympic park to see the Birds Nest and the Water Cube. We had happy hour drinks at the hotel and we were exhausted due to all the walking we did.

Day 11: Mr. Jeans once again met us on time. We went to Tiananmen Square and then onto the Forbidden City. Lot's more walking today and a very large place to visit. Had lunch provided to us by the tour company which was done because of the complaint I had about the shopping in Hong Kong but was not expected and also it was my birthday too so probably a bit of a combo of both. After lunch we then headed to the Temple of Heaven and more walking. When we got back to the hotel, the tour company had a birthday cake made a delivered to us which was a very nice touch. Absolutely not expected. We had to say goodbye to Mr. Jeans since he had to go home to see his wife the next day so we would have a different guide to accompany us to the airport.

Day 12: Sadly, our last day in China and head home to the US: Had a very nice breakfast and then were picked up by a new guide (can't remember her name). She seemed very nice but was not as helpful as the rest of the guides had been but maybe because she was just there to get us to the airport. She did help us find the check in and once checked in, we said goodbye to her.

Overall this trip was amazing. From the first contact with Candy all the way to the drop off at the Beijing airport, we couldn't have been happier with the level of service that Elysian Tour provides. Although there were just a couple of issues (glitches), they did not ruin our trip in anyway and the company was there and available to help at anytime. Be advised that Candy will suggest downloading WeChat so that you can reach her anytime while in China and that was great. She checked in with us almost everyday to make sure things were going ok. Very delightful to speak with on the phone when I needed that before the trip. All of the hotels were amazing and definitely a minimum of 4 stars and even might have been a bit higher than that. We were disappointed with the Beijing hotel but had we known, we would have requested a different room. All the hotels provided the same bathroom amenities (soap, shampoo, tooth brushes, combs, conditioner, etc.). The hotels in Hong Kong and Beijing both had great happy hours in their bar areas and overall the prices in China are excellent. All of the staff at each hotel were very pleasant and I would definitely recommend any of these hotels even if you are not with Elysian Tour.