Vivie Like 0

Our family of 9 (7 adults, 2 children) visited Beijing from 9 Mar to 16 Mar 2012 and we were hosted by Vivie. She impress us already at the first meeting when she bought acrobatic show tickets for us and deliver it personally to our hotel, even though we did not engage her on that day. When our guided tour began from the 2nd day onwards, it was a wonderful experience throughout with her. She is knowledgeable, well versed in both mandarin and English and best of all also an excellent story teller. Her sharing about the ancient history of China and Beijing was so interesting and engaging for most of us. She knew Beijing very well, where to go, where to eat and where to get the best deals. She also shared with us how to negotiate with the local vendors. We noticed she was constantly having our welfare at heart too, even though we did not ask for it. For instance, she will ask for discount at certain sightseeing locations, she will ask many questions when she helped us enquire about a certain restaurant just to be make sure we get a good deal, she will make sure we know our way around and how to get back to the hotel at the end of the day, as we have old folks and children with us she is always patience and will flow with the slower momentum of the group, etc. Last but not least, and the most commendable of all, although we have booked her for 4 days, but she reckons we do not need her for the last day, so she cancel the booking thus helping us save one day of tour guide fee! Now that shows honesty and character. She has made our visit so easy and left us with a very good impression of Beijing. We will DEFINITELY recommend her to anyone who wishes to visit Beijing in the future. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, VIVIE!           Read less

My husband and I had the opportunity to meet with Vivie for a couple of days in Beijing, Jan 2012. She was very knowledgable and professional as well as had a great knack for negotiating! Vivie got us great discounts in the street markets as well as discount tickets in a theatre (which I recommend seeing). Vivie also provided local safety tips as well as restaurant recommendations. When we went for a tour of the Great Wall, she took us there in her comfortably sized car to a location not swarmed by tourists which was great. If you are traveling to Beijing, we recommend Vivie. Angie and Alex- Read less

Vivie was a fantastic tour tour guide for us while we were in Beijing. After the  first contact I made with Vivie via email, I knew she was organized, friendly, reliable and had  great communication skills.  I felt very confident in making arrangements with her to be our guide, and I was right. From the time she met us at the airport to the time she took us to the train station at the end of our 4 days, she made our trip so much more enjoyable, educational and relaxing.  Her knowledge of Beijing and China’s history gave us great insight into the sites we visited.  She did an excellent job of taking our input on what we wanted to see and do, and executing a well planned out itinerary. Her command of the English language was great, and we thoroughly appreciated her help in navigating Beijing. Next time we are in Beijing we will definitely call on Vivie again. She welcomed us to China and when we left we felt like we were saying goodbye to a good friend.  Thanks Vivie!

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Having the chance to visit China around a month for work and holiday allowed me to meet Vivie. What I can say is that of the many guides and aides I have had along my journey Vivie is by far the best. I am by no means an easy client and the pace at which I move can either be described as exhausting, fevered or not human. That being said Vivie was a champ, would be there with anyone every step of the way and try her best to accommodate any hit list of activities or sites a person could possibly cram in a day. Her knowledge of the places and areas we visited is far superior to any other guide I could have had. She knows far more about the historical significance of places you visit than found by a mere read alone and will tell you certain facts that are not well known or scarcely published. For the prior skill sets mentioned Vivie is already worth far more than her fees but it's her personality and caring that sets her apart from all her peers. Vivie truly cares about the people she works with and will do what ever she can to make sure you have a wonderful experience in China. Lets just say I ran into a few speed bumps during my journey in China beyond my tours with her and Vivie acted far more like a friend than a Guide when trying to help me out. Even though I did not end up needing her assistance during these incidents she was willing to do so without even asking or caring about a fee to help. That is what a friend would do, not a guide and it is for this that I think Vivie is the best possible choice for anyone visiting her area of China. You can pay less for other guides and most likely you will see less, learn less and have a less than stellar experience. With Vivie you get far more of a person than you could put a price on and an experience vastly more than you pay for. I would gladly give a reference for Vivie if she asked and look forward to seeing her on my next trip to China.

Sincerely,

Everett Kamin

 

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My contact with Vivie started over 4 months prior to  our trip to Beijing.  I had many questions and concerns.  She promptly replied to every email giving us tips on taxi scams (even a picture of which kind to take) and bought us a SIM card for our unlocked phone with detailed instructions on how to use it.  She made our trip hassle free and very enjoyable.  In the beginning, there were just me and my husband, then 3 friends decided to join us.  In the end, 2 other friends decided to come to Beijing.  Vivie was so flexible and accommodating, changing the size of vehicle each time.

Vivie is also a caring person.  We had a 9 year old girl in our group and Vivie presented her with a toy panda and took her under her wings.

We spent 2 glorious days with Vivie.  The first day, we did a walking tour of the Forbidden City, through the lake and park areas, then a Hutong tour on rickshaws.  Vivie was so informative.  We learned things we never would have had we gone on our own.  She also recommended a very reasonably priced Beijing duck restaurant (for locals) which was delicious.

Next day, she took us to the Mutianyu Great Wall and the Summer Palace in an eleven seater van.  The only word to describe the Wall is "incredible".  Chair lift up and toboggan down.  It was so much fun.

We will cherish our memories of Beijing, thanks to Vivie and we recommend her very highly.

Janet 

 

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"My husband and I had the good fortune to have Vivie as a tour guide whilst 
we were visiting Beijing. Vivie picked us up from our hotel in her very 
comfortable air conditioned car and we visited the Great Wall and the Summer 
Palace. Vivie is very knowledgeable about Chinese history and made our visit 
to both places very interesting,  plesant and unhurried. She answered all of 
our questions and went our of her way to ensure we enjoyed our day.
We would highly recommend her to anyone who needs a very good English 
speaking tour guide in Beijing."

Janet & Ray Lutkin
Bermuda

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