Gate 1 Travel

Reviews 6

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Rene Perez Polanco

Since last year, we were looking to go China, and at last it was true. This was my second trip with gate 1, and was unforgettable. We are Mexicans, but it didn’t make any difference with the rest, we make a very warm group of people. First of all, in China is very common to see lots of huge buildings in the cities we visited, where Chinese people live. The culture is very interesting and millenary, costumes are different, and we watched that people enjoy life, dance, pray, play in public parks. Beijing is a very charming city, and own very important places like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Olympic Stadium, and the ancient Great Wall of more than 6,000 miles and made to protect China of invasions, all are definitely beautiful. We had a nice experience in a Chinese restaurant close to our hotel, where nobody speaks English, but we understand each other just pointed some Chinese food plates, it was fun. The pollution was not a problem in the city; there are a lot of threes, parks and recreation and also green areas. Xian, the old china capital, was another interesting city, because of the terracotta warrior’s one of the wonders of the modern world, where there are a museum dedicated to show the antiques of more than 2000 years. In 1974 were discovered this wonder, and since then a lot of very important persons have visited; the place is located very close to Xian, 30 minutes of something like that, and the antiques are compose, not just of warriors but horses and other important devices used more than 2,000 years ago. The first China ‘emperor was Qin Shi Huang and he took the throne at the age of thirteen years old. At the library, we had the opportunity to met Yang Zhifa, the farmer that was digging a well looking for water, and accidentally discovered this antiques, and he gently share a picture with my family, her I bought a book signed for that person. Also in this City we visited the Giant Panda Museum, one of the most important China’s zoos, which is located very close to downtown. Here in a public Square, we danced, practiced Tai Chi discipline with a master woman, we also sang some songs for the soul with everyone, listened spiritual music with native people, it was a tremendous experience. And finally, we arrive to Shanghái, a modern metropolis of more than 24 million populations, with interesting places to visit as the enormous Pagoda of Buda at downtown; also we made a night sight of the sky buildings in a ship throughout the Huangpu River. Actually, in this place emerge the second tallest tower of the world, named Shanghai Tower. Another remarkable characteristic of this trip in China was the food, which was delicious and cheap. My family and I, are already thinking in our next trip with gate 1, I hope to be sometime in India, Thailand, Nordic Countries, Greek or Israel, between others interesting places.

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Nancy Hardter

My husband and I just returned from our sixth trip with Gate 1, the 13 Day Classic Costa Rica with Tortuguero and Manuel Antonio. It may have been our best yet! Our hope was to see lots of scenery and lots of wildlife, and our wish was fulfilled. Every area we visited was different in terms of climate and elevation, but the thing they have in common is that they were all fascinating areas worth visiting. Costa Rica has been careful about taking care of its natural assets, and is about 25% national parks. So if nature is your thing, this is the trip for you. We started the tour in San Jose, then traveled to Tortuguero on the Caribbean side of the country. It was in the rain forest, and our stay included a boat trip to the national park area where we saw caimans, boas, turtles, monkeys, poison dart frogs, basilisk lizards and many types of birds. The beach and waterways were gorgeous. The theme continued for the rest of our journey. Arenal is a beautiful volcanic area, and the Cano Negro boat trip that we took gave us additional opportunities to see wildlife. The Monteverde Cloud Forest was beautiful, and the Hanging Bridges Tour and Zip Lines really gave the opportunity to get up in and above the canopy. Some of the activities we did were optional, but the prices were very reasonable. Our tour ended in Manuel Antonio. It is a beautiful national park and beach. The monkeys were more accustomed to humans, and we were able to get great pictures. There were sloths in the trees close enough to see. There were iguanas on the rocks, and the beach was gorgeous. A fitting end to our trip. One last note: Our guides with Gate 1 are always excellent, but Edgardo Hidalgo had such knowledge about geography, climate, plants, animals, and Costa Rican History that he really brought the country alive for us. His background made this vacation so much better than it would have been if we had taken it on our own. Gate 1 is lucky to have him. The bus was very nice and or bus driver, Mauricio, was great. I was happy he was driving and not me! Accommodations at each of our stops were excellent, as were the included meals. I know that this review is very positive, however there is a reason. Each of our Gate 1 trips has been excellent, and they all have been a great value, something to consider when planning your next vacation.

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Charles Kerr

Review of 12 Day Danube River Cruise with Prague - Nuremburg to Budapest While traveling I always make a point of polling as many fellow tourists as possible regarding their favorite destinations. One place that received numerous recommendations was the city of Prague. Also mentioned frequently was a tour down the Danube. Voila! This trip covered both. Everyone likes a bit of attention but not the kind I received in Prague. I left my carry-on bag in the airport terminal when departing in the bus destined for our hotel in Prague. You can imagine my distress. Fortunately, our Gate 1 tour guide knew what to do. She returned to the airport, tracked down my bag, and was able to retrieve it for me. In days past the bag would have been stolen but in the current climate it caused a small army of police and dogs to snap into action. Sorry about that fellas! I found out later that it made the television news that night. Prague itself is an odd mix of beauty, street activity, and extensive graffitti. The buildings are gorgeous, the avenues and squares full of musicians, oddball acts and eccentrics, but all is marred by the degrading effects of ubiquitous spray-painted edifices. The town officials need to tackle that problem. After three days in Prague we made our way to Nuremburg. Guess I didn’t pay enough attention to the itinerary because the day there was a surprise to me. We visited Hitler’s Congress Hall and the adjacent Zeppelin Field where the Fuhrer harangued thousands. We also passed by the building where the Nuremburg Trials were held. The German people are definitely making an effort to deal with this sorry chapter in their history. Passau was delightful with its pastel colored buildings, clean streets, and delicious gingerbread. One wouldn’t mind having been born there. Vienna was a bit of a blur since we didn’t spend much time there but the evening music concert was highly enjoyable. For me the prize of the trip was Budapest. What an impressive city. This was our third trip with Gate 1 the other two being Ireland and Iceland. Our boat, the Amadeus Royal, was excellent. Our guides were informed and helpful. The trip was thoughtfully planned and executed without flaw. Simply put Gate 1 is an outstanding organization which gives you the best value for your dollar.

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Karen Wiltz

I have to say, our trip to Iceland was AMAZING!!! We made it into Reykjavik right before they closed down the roads due to the massive storm. But that didn¡¦t stop us from having a phenomenal time. When we arrived, we were informed The Blue Lagoon was closed; but at least we were able to enjoy it for about 2 hours the next day. We wish we could have stayed longer in order to get some well needed massages. But the experience was like no other. Everything was set up for us from the moment we arrived to the moment we left; it ran smoothly, and service was fast. Our tour guild (we forgot her name), was so nice! And very knowledgeable. She answered any and every question we had, Always had a smile on her, and so upbeat!! She was so helpful with overall things to know about Reykjavik and Iceland. She really gave us such a positive experience on our vacation. The main purpose for this trip was to see the Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis. The best way to describe what we saw, its simply by saying it was an Experience. Due to weather, the possibility of seeing the lights was a 4 out of 9, but we were not disappointed. We were still able to experience their beauty. The memories we were able to capture are amazing; not to mention the pictures we captured! The food in Iceland was absolutely delicious. Food liked like actual food!! Everywhere we went, the food was fresh and absolutely divine. (It¡¦s funny how other countries do not process their food like we do here in the states¡K the coke actually taste like coke should, because it¡¦s made with actual REAL sugar LOL.) All of us LOVED Iceland so much, that we would like to return to Iceland during the summer months for the Night¡¦s of Day. Count us in for another Gate1 Summer Iceland trip!! This is not my first time traveling with Gate1, but it was for my other 3 friends. They all had such positive things to say about the overall customer service, the wonderful flow of things/travel, and the tour guild. They were quite surprised with the level of professionalism Gate1 had maintained throughout our travel. Every one of my friends have already signed up for Gate1¡¦s weekly email deals in order to start planning our next trip ƒº

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Ranakumar Nadella

We recently took the Kaleidoscope of India with Nepal tour with Gate1 Travel. This is our seventh tour with Gate1. We have taken more than two dozen international tours over the past six years. We were always happy with the Gate1 tours due to their well-designed itineraries, excellent coordination and organization, and reasonable pricing. I have never written any reviews for any of our previous tours. I felt a need to write a review for this one as we really enjoyed this tour and appreciated the knowledge and professionalism of the Tour Director, Davinder Singh. This tour included a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Humayun’s Tomb, Qutab Minar, Jantar Mantar, Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Khajuraho Temples, Durbar Squares, and Swayambhunath Temple. Gate1 tried to include a variety of experiences instead of showing several forts or temples. They excluded all the temples that do not permit admission to non-Hindus. The tour presents a good representation of the diverse cultures of the Indian and Nepalese people. Everyone in our group enjoyed the boat rides on the Ganges to witness the evening Sacred Prayer Ceremony and the morning sunrise ceremonies. In India, Taj Mahal is the highlight and the Mount Everest Flightseeing in Nepal impressed us very much. The only hiccups were the weather-related delays in landing in Kathmandu and takeoff for the Everest flight. We specially appreciated the services of our Tour Director. Davinder spent several months in the USA and England. So he was able to provide the right context as he explained the cultures of India and Nepal. He was also able to provide personal stories in a humorous way from his experiences at the appropriate time without ever repeating even a single one of them. India and Nepal have a lot to offer for tourists. Davinder made it much more enjoyable by being able to explain in simple terms topics such as caste system, Indian religions, and financial disparities. He is very knowledgeable about the history and culture of India and Nepal. He is a very effective and efficient and the best Tour Director we met so far. He was able to keep the entire group together and on time throughout the entire tour.

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Beth Valenza

My friend and I recently returned from the 14 day Greece and Istanbul with 6 Day Aegean Cruise that we booked through Gate 1 travel.. It was fabulous!! I would highly recommend it. The itinerary was comprehensive, but not too tiring. There were 7 ports of call on the cruise and at least 7 places of interest on the land tour. We visited places that many of my friends who had been to Greece had not seen. The ship was the Louis Cristal. It held about 1000 people or so. Having that small a ship made it easy to get from one part of the ship to another, get through buffet lines, get on and off the ship quickly, and get into small ports of call such as Symi and Chios. I do need to say that the ship is very basic. It was clean and well kept, but did show her age a bit. The staff was always helpful and courteous. The food is good, but not to die for and, of course, there was plenty of it with a variety. If someone wants the top-end cruise experience, they may be disappointed. To me, it was like a Holiday Inn while the bigger ship would be a Hilton or Ritz (but with the high end, you get more people...) Also, some of the islands we stopped at were quite crowded even without big ships in port. I could not image how awful visiting Ia on Santorini would be if there were thousands of people from a large cruise ship on the island! To me, it was more about the destination, not the journey. By the way, I would highly recommend a cabin with a window! It was a bit more, but it was worth the extra money to watch the islands go by or look out while getting dressed or relaxing after sight seeing all day. The hotels we stayed in were excellent with extensive breakfast buffets. When one of our travel mates got sick, the hotel in Athens had a doctor in her room within the hour. I also want to say the guides we had, Panos (on the ship), and Yiannis, on the land tour were fabulous! Both were organized and SO full of knowledge! Panos gets extra kudos for his personality, organization skills and his thorough attention to details.

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