PHOTO: Tiananmen Square. (courtesy Janeen Christoff)
Oriental Tours and Travel has a passion for delivering high-end, in-depth packages to China. Its collection of tours highlights both cruise and tour options as well as a choice between deluxe travel and a luxury packages.
Oriental Tours' luxury tours are longer than average, the shortest being 14 days, use five-star international hotel brands, include three meals per day, evening entertainment, executive cabins on the Yangtze River cruise portion of the journey, a specialty dinner, round-the-clock service of a tour manger, discounts on business-class airfare and more sightseeing. However, this last item means that there is less free time with the luxury option.
Deluxe options are equally as high-end but have fewer inclusions, meaning that meals and entertainment come at an additional cost but there is more free time to explore on your own. Deluxe tours still include the use of four- and five-star hotels, meaning that both options are appealing to a discerning clientele.
Oriental Tours' 14-day Wonders of China & the Yangtze River is an example of the company's options for those traveling on a luxury itinerary. It includes five days in Beijing exploring the major attractions in the area, including the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and more. The visit includes a meal at the Quanjude Beijing Duck Restaurantin Beijing as well as a martial arts show at the Red Theater and a Golden Mask Show. Other highlights include riding a pedal-powered cab through Beijing's traditional courtyard neighborhoods knows as hutongs and a visit to the Beijing Zoo to see the giant pandas.
After Beijing, the group moves on to Yichang where they board a boat for a Yangtze River cruise. The cruise begins with a sail through the Three Gorges Dam and the Tribe of the Three Gorges shore excursion. You will see the Goddess Stream, Wu Gorge and sail through Qutang Gorge. Before disembarking, guests also visit Shibaozhai or Fengdu, depending on river conditions.
Following the river cruise, the tour heads to Chongqing and Xian before concluding in Shanghai, exploring the city and taking in an acrobatic show at the Shanghai Center Theater or the Huxi Theater.
The package is priced at $5,299 per person, double occupancy.
On the deluxe side, a similar version of this itinerary is the 14-day Charm of China & Yangtze River Cruise. This journey visits the same locations but has fewer included sightseeing options, meals and shows.
Other luxury options offered by Oriental Tours and Travel include the 16-day Grand China, Hong Kong and Macau, priced at $6,099 and visiting Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Guilin and Hong Kong. The 17-day Exploring China, Tibet & Yangtze River Cruise tours Beijing, Tianjin, Xian, Chengdu, Lhasa, Shanghai and the Yangtze River. It is priced at $6,799 per person, double.
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