Anupa.Damle@blueyonder.co.uk

Dear Shweta

We are now back from Mumbai, and Stuart and I wanted to thank you for organizing what was a really enjoyable holiday.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Rajasthani elements of our trip, and have some wonderful memories of Agra.

We would also like to commend our driver, Dharampad Singh, for his excellent service during our trip.

He was always courteous and friendly, and nothing was ever too much trouble.  The car was clean and comfortable throughout our trip, and he went out of his way to make sure that we were safe at all times on the road, especially given the less cautious driving of other vehicles.

He also pointed out relevant places of interest and landmarks along the way, to add further colour to the holiday.

We would definitely hope to travel with him again, and would strongly recommend him to all of your guests in the future.  Please pass on our thanks to him again.

However, there are a couple of elements that did not meet with our satisfaction, and we would like you to address these for future visitors.

We had checked the website for all the hotels you proposed, and were happy to go with the 3 star options on this basis.  The hotels in Delhi and Agra did look more functional than holiday oriented, but well equipped and spacious.
  
That said, the rest of the trip was wonderful.  Our guides in Jaipur, Agra and Jodhpur were excellent and extremely informative, and we saw a lot of fascinating sights and craftsmanship at the various emporia (though the ratio of shops to sights in Jaipur was perhaps a little too high).

We would be happy to discuss any of these comments further, should you require.  Thanks again for your help.

Best wishes

Anupa & Stuart Grant

alanlawrence1@aol.com

Dearest Shweta,

I hope you are well.

I am writing to say THANKYOU SO MUCH for the wonderful tour. Everyone we met from your company were excellent, always friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble.

We were met at each city by your representatives who helped us with hotel check in and made sure we had all we required, all were very polite and well mannered.

We saw more than we expected and everything was explained by your very knowledgeable guides, all three of them were good company and we learnt a lot from them.

I feel that I must mention our driver for the tour, David. He drove perfectly, always kept us safe, was always polite and again nothing was too much trouble for him, he is an excellent man.

When we travel to India again we will use Compass and we will recommend your company to anyone we know visiting India, we cannot recommend you highly enough.

Could you please thank all our good friends at Compass for making our holiday so enjoyable.

The attachment is a picture of David and my wife Christine.

Once again THANKYOU

Your good friends

Alan & Christine

kathycheetham@hotmail.com

Dear Shweta,

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for organising our recent trip to India.

We loved the tour & your country.

We enjoyed both north & south, they are very different.

The train trip was very daunting; we did not expect to have to share a cabin especially with men & no other westerners in sight.

The hotels were mostly very good with the exception of The Corus, Delhi, which you had advised me about & the last hotel at Kovalam, which was not very good.

Our driver in the south Rajeev was delightful & very patient especially when we were shopping for jewellery. He made us feel safe & had a great sense of humour.

Once again my sincere thanks & if you ever make it to Australia, you would be a most welcome guest at Lee & my home.

I must also thank you for the beautiful shawl that you gave me, I will treasure it always.

Many thanks & I hope to see you again.

Kind regards,

Kathy Cheetham

melovesgiraffes@gmail.com

Hello Shweta:

I just want to thank you for arranging our tour and to let you know how much we enjoyed it.

Everything went smoothly and we were very well taken care of, and although it was a busy schedule, it worked out well as we never left too early in the mornings. Each day was a new adventure, and was so very different to any other place in the world that I have visited.

The people I met were delightful.....I haven't met nicer people anywhere else in the world.

Karen who drove us around Rajastan was a delight, I hope if I go again to India we would have him again.

Please thank

Mr. Gupter,

I hope I have his name correct for his help, and I would happily use your service again.

Sincerely,

Janet Webb

brucefinne@yahoo.com

To: Shweta

Shweta   We are back from our trip and I just wanted to thank you and Compass for all that you did to make our trip a great success.  All of the guides did a very good job of guiding us around the various cities and were so knowlegable about the sites and the history of India. Our driver was excellent both in his driving skills and in his care and consideration for us  throughout the entire time he was with us. 

Feel free to use this message to advertise your services or refer people to me for a recommendation.

Thanks again.

  Bruce

rfkennedy@comcast.net


Compass India Inc.

Sorry to be so late with this but we do want to express our complete satisfaction with the subject tour recommended and coordinated by Susan Hunter of your US Office. in Tucson.  There simply was nothing to be critical about and all of your representatives were prompt, efficient and pleasant.  Of course, the greatest amount of time was with your driver, Sucha Singh, and we can't say enough about his attention to us and his professionalism.  To be sure, one of the most memorable experiences was that of coping with your traffic challenges.  Though it was quite an experience, Sucha kept us very much at ease.  I trust you will let him know of our appreciation of him.
So we thank you for providing us with an exposure to India that has left us with a very favorable impression.

By copy of this e-mail to Susan Hunter, we express our appreciation for all she did to arrange this wonderful experience.

Sincerely,
Robert and Margaret Kennedy

kallarsk@yahoo.com  

Dear Sukriti,

I want to thank you for arranging a wonderful trip for us of Rajasthan. We enjoyed very bit of it. Your arrangements were superb.

Your company executives in every city were very professional, friendly and on time. They were prompt in their response. Raj in Udaipur was superb. My daughter got sick there and he was very responsive and prompt to our requests.

Guides were good. Raghu in Jodhpur was superb.

Hotels were excellent and we loved staying in all of them. We enjoyed our last night at the Lake Palace Hotel.

In summary, I want to say that it was a very well organized trip. Every detail was taken care of. I really enjoyed meeting you personally. We definitely will contact you again for our next holiday and will highly recommend you to all our friends.

Best of luck in your profession

Surinder Kallar

hsinger@morrisoncohen.com 

Well--we are finally home and almost caught up on everything.  this is our 1st chance to catch a breath.   we wanted to thank you so much for planning and executing our tour as well as you did.  you were really wonderful!!

Henry A. Singer

Morrison Cohen LLP

hsinger@morrisoncohen.com

Tel 212-735-8677
Fax 212-735-8708

(www.morrisoncohen.com)

vibha001@hotmail.com  

My husband and I took our first trip together to India in January 2008 and we are VERY fortunate and grateful that we used the excellent services of Compass India. Anupama, our travel agent, was very courteous, detailed and most of all, extremely patient in all our communications. We had explained what we were looking for via email and she coordinated and created an itinerary which suited our needs and budget accordingly.

Our flight from the US got canceled due to bad weather and we had to adjust our travels immediately. All it took was one phone call - Anupama was very swift in re-arranging our itinerary while we were on our way to India the next day and we still managed to see all the things as previously planned. All we had to do on our end was get to India! The driver Rakesh was a wonderful person - trustworthy and courteous. The guides we had for every location (Agra, New Delhi and Jaipiur) were very knowledgeable and friendly as well.  We told them what we wanted to see and they facilitated this. Even if we had not done our research in advance, Compass India provides recommendations based on interests and time. The hotels we stayed at were amazing - top quality! And Compass India ensured that we were comfortable and content with the rooms and services. I received calls from Anupama throughout the trip to ensure that everything was going well and that there were no issues which they weren't because everything was so well planned for us from the time we landed till the time we left India!

Overall, this trip to India was an amazing one - an experience that we will never forget. And I am very glad we used Compass India for our first trip. I will strongly recommend their services to others and am sure my husband and I will be using them again for our next trip!

Sincerely

Vibha

extech@jhbmail.co.za 

My colleague and I went to Chennai on a business trip. We toured Bombay, Delhi and Agra and this was organized by Compass India. We made all our travel arrangements via e-mail with Mr. Durjay Sengupta and everything was as promised and to our complete satisfaction.

My wife, two sons and daughter-in-law toured India for about 5 weeks. All accommodation, local flights and road transport was all arranged, prior to their departure, by e-mail with Durjay and they were very pleased with the service. On the tour, my family requested changes from the "planned" itinerary and Durjay happily accommodated them.

I have recommended Compass India to my friends and they have also returned with satisfaction.

From my experience with Compass India and particularly with Durjay I have no hesitation to recommend.

Should you require any further assistance, please contact me.

Best Regards,
K.V.Dahya
Extech Safety Systems (Pty),Ltd
Technical Manager,
Telephone    : +27 11 791 6000
Fax             : +27 11 792 8294
Mobile         : +27 82 550 6103
E-mail         : extech.kv@tempcon.co.za
http://www.extech.co.za

e.davingoff@tiscali.co.uk  


Dear Shweta,

I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending COMPASS to friends and family because of their professionalism and attention to detail and the help given by them when experiencing difficulties with our credit cards and booking problems with air travel.Your hard work allowed for a trouble free and delightful Golden Triangle Tour.Your Representatives who met us are to be congratulated on their helpfullness and courtesy particularly Dillip on the Agra leg. The tour guides were highly knowledgeable and friendly, again I would  like to praise one guide in particular Sudhir Tiwari in Agra for his total enthusiasm of his subject. Finally I would like to thank the driver Grish for taking great care for us during our trip.                                              
      
In all your selection of hotels, guides and driver was exceptional.

Again thank you,

Best wishes

Beverley and Edward Davingoff

nico@athanor.co.za

Hi Shweta,

The tour to India was very rich in all the things we expected; colours, sounds, smells, cultures and a very warm and tolerant people in a diverse and exciting environment.

The tour Shweta suggested was a really good choice and worked well for us. We found Rajasthan the way you presented it to have a great mix of sights and history and you took us via routes that were less beaten by travelers which we appreciated. There were times we saw very few Westerners in any given day. Nepal was also fantastic and both the guides and Compass rep were exceptional.

In every venue our guides were informative and knowledgeable and always willing to go out of their way for us. Our Nepalese guide, Diwakar, never made us feel financially compromised, and the one time we did, he intervened and got the vendor to reimburse us.

The Compass people were always excellent and we found the level of service exemplary. Every hotel we arrived at they were there to meet us, and again the next morning when we woke up. This was really impressive service delivery and they always facilitated the arrivals and departures at every destination smoothly. We found all these transitions a seamless pleasure and this was really a noteworthy aspect of the trip.

We had a wonderfully helpful and accommodating driver and he always tried to ensure our comfort. Our driver was always ready and on time and the cars provided were always very clean and comfortable. We found the driver cleaned the car every night and was always well presented and neat, which was a pleasure. We never felt that he invaded our privacy. In fact we felt the same about all the staff and guides. They were ever present yet never uncomfortably so.

We thought the way Compass put together the tour was really professional and the staff were available whenever we called which was nothing short of miraculous at times. Sanjay would pick up the phone whether we called at 8 in the morning or 12 at night. This was exceptional, and he would always resolve our problems and get back to us within 15 minutes. Also the little gifts were very thoughtful tokens at various places.

I speak for both myself and my wife when I say I would recommend Compass to any of my friends and would gladly endorse your services.

Regards

Nico and Lauren Fourie

Nico Fourie

emardon@ucsd.edu

Dear Durjay

Thanks so much for the email. There’s not a day goes by that Richele and I don’t think of India and the wonderful tour you arranged for us. We’re keeping well and still living in San Diego, and travel is one of our passions.

We’d love to return to India, and Richele is fond of reminding me that we still haven’t seen the Taj Mahal. There’s an excellent chance that we’ll be there in 2009 and, of course, we hope that Compass will be able to make the arrangements. We’d like to see Delhi again, (and the Taj Mahal of course). We also read an article about a park in north east India where one can ride on an elephant and hopefully see rhinocerus. Would it be possible to combine this in a 2 week trip, and what else would you recommend in that part of India? We’d probably need to decide between east India and revisiting Udaipur, although we’d both really like to go back to that city and maybe see some other sites in that area.

Congratulations on your company doing well and growing. I’m not at all surprised because I saw for myself how professional and customer oriented you are, and I’m sure you must get a lot of repeat business and word of mouth recommendations.

Wishing you and your family a good New Year

Edmund

X2MMANDA@SOUTHERNCO.COM


Dear Durjay

'Sorry for not writing you earlier. We had a great time in Rajasthan and appreciate for all the help Compass India extended to us. We are thankful to all of you, especially to Ujjwal and Kailash for making the trip memorable. I am sure that we will be getting in touch with you again. Couple of my friends may visit Rajasthan next year and you will hear from them later.

Have a happy and prosperous NEW YEAR.

Regards

Mrinmoy Mandal

armitysimon@aol.com

Hi Durjay,

Greeting from Arizona!!!

I am so sorry that we have not gotten back with you sooner.

We all had a wonderful time in Incredible India.... Sanjay did a wonderful job and all went well for us.

You can certainly use us as references and we have already given your names to friends here in Arizona.

Please let everyone know how much we enjoyed meeting them.

Please keep in touch. We would love to see you and the rest of the guys in Arizona if you are ever here.

Thanks Again,

Armity

geraldbenjamin@videotron.ca


Mrs. & Mr. Benjamin who took a 30 day tour with us

I have never experienced an operation as efficient as yours.It was seamless and all of your personnel most professional and helpful.

Congratulations.

Dear Shweta,

As Loraine has said, we do want to give you some feedback concerning the holiday you arranged for us: not least because we understand your wish to hear what could have been done better.

The overall content of the tour was exceptionally good, giving us insight into the different cultures that have influenced India and Nepal during several millennia. We also enjoyed the opportunity to see the Himalayas at close quarters. The range of activities and the time available for each balanced very well with our interests: although it was often difficult to move on from one spectacular location to make sure we didn’t miss anything from the itinerary later.

Our driver from arrival in Delhi through to taking the train in Agra (Lal Bahadur) was absolutely first class. He drove with care and consideration for his passengers throughout and handled difficult traffic conditions smoothly and without showing any sign of stress. We had complete confidence in him at all times.

Our guide in Jaipur (Devendra Singh Khangarot) was especially knowledgeable: we particularly appreciated his descriptions of the Observatory instruments and the care he took to find a shaded spot whenever he wanted to describe something to us. It was an honour to visit his home for Diwali and we are grateful to him and his family for their hospitality.

Our guide (Omeese) and driver in Khajuraho looked after us very well. Fortunately they stayed at the airport after we checked in to depart. I was ill that day and when my wife asked them if a doctor could be arranged for when we arrived in Varanasi, they took me to a doctor in Khajuraho and back to the airport, so I was improving by the time I got to Varanasi.

The gentleman who met us in Varanasi (Nitin) was very helpful. Because we arrived later than expected (see above) he had rearranged our schedule so we missed nothing out. He was most helpful on our departure to Nepal, explaining the Nepalese visa system and exchanging our INR 1000 / 500 notes for INR 100 notes before we left.

Our room at the Grand Imperial in Agra was most impressive and we enjoyed the live music whilst we ate an excellent dinner both nights. (Unfortunately, the room service and service at the front desk fell short of expectations for a hotel of this class.)

Dwarika’s hotel in Kathmandu was amazing: the best hotel we stayed at. The architecture was very interesting: the rooms were vast (especially No 55 which we stayed in for the first 2 nights), with many interesting artifacts dressing the rooms and public spaces. We particularly enjoyed our meals in the coffee shop and in the Krishnarpan restaurant during both our visits.

The dinner and dance show in Kathmandu was a very enjoyable evening, as were the sound and light show and musical evenings in Khajuraho.

Overall our visit was a brilliant experience. We saw a lot of wonderful things: made by man and naturally occurring, and witnessed so many festivals and cultural events, all of which have broadened our knowledge and, I hope, enabled us to better understand what is happening in India and Nepal.

Thank you very much for all your hard work to ensure we achieved so much in the time available and had such a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Also, thank you very much for the hand bag and carved model of the Ashokan column which are pleasing reminders of Diwali 2007 and the many interesting things we saw, including the archaeological museum at Sarnath.

Best wishes for a very happy Christmas and for your good health and success in the New Year

From

David & Loraine

Brookfield
17A The Whiteway
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 2E

btjh@iafrica.com

Dear Shweta

Here we are back home after our short but very memorable tour of India.

We all need to thank you for arranging the tour and answering our e-mails so promptly.

Initially we thought it a bit of a risk finding a tour company on the internet, but out fears was ill founded.

The accommodation in Mumbai was basic, but very close to the Taj President. Several of the players changed their accommodation to the Supreme Hotel which was certainly cheaper than the Taj. We were able to watch the finals of the Scrabble championships, which were most interesting. Noelene had asked other agents to find suitable accommodation in Mumbai, but you were the only one who was able to do so, so thanks for that. The touring arrangements worked out very well with the eight seater. We must commend Ram for his driving skills in all the heavy traffic. The guides were excellent, with special commendation to Raj in Delhi.

The confusion with the hotels was that I took the names down from your letter of July 24 at 9:37pm and did not notice that they has changed in your letter of July 25 at 4:01 pm. I was the only one not happy with the substitute hotel in Delhi, and thus my phone call. However, on the return I enjoyed relaxing on the rooftop restaurant and even had some games of Scrabble there with Trevor.He had to allow me a very good handicap. Trevor and I enjoyed a swim at the hotel in Jaipur. This was certainly the best of the tour. Unfortunately I must mention our disappointment with the agent who took us to the airport on our departure from Delhi.

Whereas the agent in Mumbai ensured that we were booked onto our plane and took charge of the whole procedure, this agent in Delhi merely dropped us off at the International airport. When we looked for Kingfisher lines we were told that we were at the wrong airport. This meant taking prepaid taxis to the domestic airport. The drivers demanded tips equal to the cost of the fares.Trevor and Noelene's taxi took them to the wrong terminal and they had to take a shuttle bus to the Kingfisher terminal. All this could have caused them to miss the flight to Mumbai. Fortunately the plane departed 45 minutes late. We really thought that the agent would have been given the details of our flights, or would have asked for our tickets to check the details, and would have taken the trouble to book us on the plane, instead of just dumping us at the wrong airport. We did not expect a mishap like this when all the other arrangements had gone so smoothly.

I'm sure you are familiar with the expression that "all's well that ends well". We did not miss our flight, but could have done without the experience, especially at that time of morning.

I'm sorry we were not able to meet you in Delhi. With all the correspondence, Noelene and I got to know you well, without meeting you.

I trust you received that very small momento from South Africa which we asked the agent to pass on to you.

To sum up, it was a very interesting tour and we thank you for the efficient way you organised it for us.

I'm not sure if we will be visiting India again, but if we do so we will contact you at Compass Tours.

On behalf of Estelle, Trevor, Noelene and Joy

Best wishes and regards

Brian

juliecud@gmail.com

Hi Shweta,

Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you.  The trip to India was amazing.  All guides, tour operators, etc., were terrific and we made it through Delhi traffic in one piece.  We really appreciate all your efforts and how accessible everybody at Compass was.

 Thanks again,

Julie Cudmore

sneha100@gmail.com

Hi Anchal,

Ben and I would like to thank you and the entire compass India team for planning and executing such a wonderful tour for us. The service was nothing short of fantastic. Mr Suresh Yadu very extremely nice and helpful. The driver in Delhi Mr Karan Singh was great. He really made our trip exciting with his lovely manner and light-hearted nature. I would also like to personally thank you for organising this trip at short notice. We are thrilled that everything went as planned and we got to see all that we wanted. So great planning on your part.

On a different note, I was wondering if you would please be able to send me an invoice for the credit card payment that I made for the remaining amount with the exact amount in rupees paid. Thank you again so much for your help in making this trip a truly memorable one.

Take care
With regards

Sneha Narayan

leroy@zpdee.net

Hello Shweta,

Nice to hear from you.

We happily confirm we were delighted with your services. Our friends, the Christen and we appreciated the suggestions regarding the itinerary, the choice of the hotels and the professionalism of your staff. We were greeted by your local representatives each time we got into a new city and the drivers and guides were friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great experience and would certainly (and already have) recommend Compass to friends and business contacts.
The “bus” you assigned to the 4 of us for the tour was nice, comfortable and roomy and allowed us to enjoy the driving times as well as the visits.

You have a great team over there and a very good business model. Keep it up!

On a more personal note and although we had not the opportunity to meet you during our stay in India, we highly appreciated your help and guidance and thank you for these wonderful moments.

Cheers

Leroy Family
215, Cadena de Amor Street
Ayala Alabang Village
Muntinlupa City 1780
Metro Manila   Philippines
Phone: + 63 2 809 1910
Fax: + 63 2 809 1911

Dear Sukriti

This is just a short message to thank you again for doing such a good job of organising the tour to the Taj Mahal. I am very impressed with the efficiency and the attention to detail, and will certainly recommend you to other people.

Best regards

Martin van Veelen

christen.f@birkart.com.ph


Hi Ms. Shweta,


Thanks for your mail. Nice to hear from you. The whole arrangement from the pick up at the airport until the drop off at the airport was perfect! Nice driver and very good tour guides. At arrival and check out from the Hotel was always one of your representatives looking if everything was OK. Really a perfect organization and we have plenty of nice memories from India!


We definitely will come again and of course by then shall get in touch with you.
With kind regards
 
Franz Christen

Margarita.Garcia@AllenOvery.com

Dear Geetha,

Please find below our feedback on your services and the tour we bought from you:

Compass Travel provided us with excellent service from the moment we emailed throughout the whole booking and whilst we took our tour in India. I must highlight that Anupama, the reservation agent who dealt with our reservation, was extremely helpful, quick in responding and very clear in her explanations.

We had a fantastic time in India and the tour was tailored to our requirements. We thought the services offered were very good from first point of contact at the airport, hotels, drivers, guide tours etc. We must highlight how safe and efficient our private driver was. He was also very friendly and took good care of us. We were very pleased with all our tour guides in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. All of them seemed very knowledgeable and were very friendly. The only disappointment was in Goa as our tour did not take place. We were happy though that Mr Sengupta took personal care of our complain and met with us personally on our last day of our tour to apologise. In terms of hotels all but one  were to our standards especially the resort in Goa, Cidade Goa, which offers good facilities and good restaurant choices.

We would definitely recommend visiting India and using Compass Travel for tours as they have the expertise and can arrange tours suitable to all budgets. We plan to visit India again in the future and would use Compass Travel again.

Please do not pass our email address to anybody as we do not wish to be contacted.

Kind regards.

Margarita Garcia and Nick Marsh

dario.difrancesco@unimi.it

Dear M. Durjay Sengupta

My wife and I have enjoyed the tour very much.

-Hotels: hotels were chosen also according to our own specific request and were very good, perfect service;

-Transport arrangements: the tour was organized with care and professionality; we had an appointment delay one morning but it was caused by local traffic problems and was easily recovered to everybody's satisfaction;

-guides were very experienced and very knowledgeable, with some differences from one guide to the other but very good in the average. The spoken English can be improved.

Dario DiFrancesco

RMathivanar@cochlear.com.au

Dear Anupama,

I hope you had a great Holi holiday.

Karin, Peter, Matty and I returned to Australia safely last week-end.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for organising an excellent tour for us in North India.  We enjoyed the experience very much.  India was all we expected and more.  The history, culture, architecture, art and people were all wonderful.
Some aspect of life in India and the infrastructure does need improvements.  We have high hopes that this will get sorted out in the next decade or two!

We are very impressed with the organisation and professionalism of Compass India Inc.  We had your representative meet at every destination and very promptly.

Their friendliness and professionalism in general was exemplary. We also found the guides very professional and very knowledgeable.  

Special comment on Ram our driver in Rajasthan.  Ram is a great driver and took customer service to a new level.  We weren't impressed with the Park Hotel charging us Rs. 95.00 for water bottles which cost Rs.12 outside.  We are happy to pay some premium, however for something that is a necessarily, an 800% premium is a bit too much.  Thus we started to buy water outside with Ram's help!!

Ajay at Jodpur was also very helpful and we spend our second night in a palace room at Balsamand Palace that was very "palatial".  Jodpur ended up being one of my favourite places in this trip which had so many highlights.  Umesh in Kajaraho also was great in customer service.  Peter, Karin and I had a ayurvedic massage at Kajaraho.

My favourites:
Cities:
Jodpur
Jaipur

Architectural marvels
Taj Mahal
Baby Taj
Kajrahoe
Ranakpur Jain temple

Forts:
Mehranghe Fort

Palace:
Balsamand Palace (gardens were beautiful)
Umaid Bhavan (looked beautiful only saw the museum section!)

Hotels:
Trident Hilton (mentioned first because of the service and breakfast choice was great)
Balsamand Palace (ambience and heritage value was great breakfast was so so!)
Deogarh Palace (foe a small place the food was good.  We had our one and only cappuccino here!

Bikanar Palace (quite nice! food service so so!)

Guides:
Varanasi - Indrajeet
Ashvini -  Kajaraho
Vneet - Delhi
Ragunath - Jodpur
Sham - Jaipur (very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the religious tales) 

All the guides you recommended were good - but these guys were exceptional.

In the trip my least favourite place was Pushkar - the temple was dirty and I did not feel the spirituality of the place as in some other temples. The quietness and "lack of " priests in some of the other temples actually let you feel the spirituality of these holy places.  Pushkar was also the only place I could honestly say lacked the warmth of other places we had associated with in India.

We all had some form of a "Delhi Belly" during our trip.  My husband was the first to go down after eating chicken in Mandawa. Peter and Karin had days when things were not quite normal but nothing too serious!!   I escaped, until the last day when I just did not feel like having any curry meals.

I will be planning a Ayurvedic holiday with my father in Kerala as soon as I can fit the time and a South Indian Holiday in 2010 and will be consulting you on this.  Next year is France and seeing family in England.  

All in all a very lovely holiday.  Thank you very much for organising this.  I will recommend your company to my friends, colleagues and relatives.  Feel free to keep in touch.

Kind Regards

Ranji

willycornelis@hotmail.com

Dear Ms Anupama,

We finally got home in good order last Thursday. Departure from Delhi last Wednesday night was a bit hectic but we made it.

We mainly would like to express our thanks for the perfect organisation of our tour, we will keep that in mind when later we will consider a tour off south India.

Please tell Mr Sanjay Puri that we regret to have missed him at the Connaught hotel, we were not aware of his intention to meet us. We got however his kind note from the reception.

Best regards

Henny and Willy Cornelis.

TWD113@aol.com


HI Varsha,

We are still sharing the fond memories of our India adventure. Please share the attached picture with Mr. Singh.

Ted Dang

Commonwealth Real Estate
1305 Franklin St #500
Oakland, Ca 94612
(510)832-2628 x 222
(510)834-7660 fax

janeharris@shaw.ca


Hi Varsha,

Thank you for copying me. Diane and I been talking and will continue to. I am certainly hoping that she and Allan decided to do this with you. Tom and I are off on another trip--this time to San Juan, the BVIs, Panama and Cuba to study Spanish.

Thank you for all the time you took to put this together.

adrianarainero@libero.it


Dear Geetha,


I appreciate your service and enjoyed my holiday in India.


Hotels were good, especially the Jagat Niwas in Udaipur, an heritage hotel really nice.


Time dedicated to the visits and transfers during the trip was right and accurate, not too fast and not too slow.


A special mention to our driver, he was SPECIAL, friendly, clever and discreet and his drive very comfortable, thank you Sanjay!


In order to your request of contact with others guest, please,  I prefer don't be contacted.

I have a request to you, if it's possible please send me a copy of the e-ticket of our flight Udaipur- Mumbai done the 2nd january 2008 with Jet Airways, I need it for earning miles with Flying Blue.

Friendly regards and to our next holiday in India!!

Adriana and Ennio.

mitchelltr@mac.com

Dear Varsha,

Thank you for arranging such a wonderful trip for us. your staff were wonderful.

The guides in Varanasi and Jaipur were our favourite , so wonderful and looked after us.

The drive in Gwailor was excellent he even came to the magic show with us on our request !! we were very pleased!

We didn't manage to do our tour on the last day in Jaipur as it was going to be too far for us to travel in a day and then back to catch our flight so we went shopping which we wee very happy to do.

All the very best

Tammy Mitchell and family

LAZeltner@aol.com


Hi Varsha


You can post our comments on your website - as I wrote - everything went easily - and India is a fabulous destination for people who love to see and understand other cultures, history and food -as well as India's changing society.

Thanks for explaining the difference about the conversion to me.
Glad you liked the gifts - maybe one day we'll meet.

Thanks again,

Linda

Ronnie.Naicker@za.sabmiller.com


Dear Geetha

As promised , herewith some feedback from my daughter, Pranusha.
“Dear Compass Tours

Greetings from South Africa.
Although it is a beautiful, sunny day and the air is filled with joy, nothing could be greater than our experience in the most amazing country, India. I often stay awake late at night dreaming about the awesome time we had, and yes we might have everything in SA, but India somehow just offers a little more.

Searching aimlessly on the website Incredible India, we did not expect to find the best travel agency that the world has to offer, your agency has made our trip, one of the most memorable trips ever. Although my family has been there before, they still did not enjoy it as much as they did this time. As a teenager, we often become real picky and I was real skeptical about coming, especially after seeing India on TV, but right now, I can’t wait till I can jump on the next plane and come right back.
We look at the photos and videos daily, however it isn’t the same as being in India, the place itself is has a history that leaves mankind wondering, beaches that leave you breathless, architecture that leaves us artists amazed and most of all the people that we love so much.

My best places were definitely Varanasi, Kerala, Mumbai and Putturpathy, but however it wouldn’t have been, if it weren’t for Compass Tours. I thank-you in the biggest way that I can, especially coming to a strange country and not knowing anything, you have made it the best trip anyone can have. Of course I would be coming back, but nothing will beat my 2007 experience in magical India. Your tour company has so much to offer and you’ve impressed us dramatically. Your staff was exceptional throughout the tour and we could really see that you’ll have gone that extra mile so therefore we are most appreciative.
People who have dealt with you’ll, will realize that each one of you touch our hearts in a very special way.
May god bless each one of you’ll, and may your company succeed to the highest level, because we South Africans know that we can’t get anyone better than you’ll.
I pass my love to all
Geetha I’m definitely coming for my Hindi lessons so I hope you are prepared J. Varsha we will always keep in contact and may you have a prosperous year ahead.

Kind regards
Pranusha Naicker
(Daughter of Ronnie Naicker)”
Thank you
Kind regards


Ronnie Naicker
MDS

The South African Breweries Limited
Tel:              +27 12 529 9686
Email:           Ronnie.Naicker@za.sabmiller.com

sckoot@gmail.com

Hello Varsha,

Well we are home and have recovered from the long journey.  India is indeed incredible (just as the advertisements say).  I have attached our evaluation.  Thank you very much for the lovely gifts.

EVALUATION OF CUSTOMIZED TOUR OF NORTHERN INDIA FOR GERARD & SHEILA KOOT BY COMPASS TOURS -          JANUARY 2008

 Meet and assist at airports and train stations

Excellent.  We were never kept waiting.  Sanjay was particularly helpful in meeting, assisting and explaining.

Car and driver
 
Excellent.  Drivers were polite and courteous.  Special mention for Ram, our driver from Agra to Udaipur.  He was outstanding-- pleasant and informative.
Sightseeing tours
 
Tours worked well but the traffic in Delhi made the Delhi portion difficult.

Guides

The guide on our first afternoon in Delhi did not seem interested in showing us the older sites.  The other guides were good.  Special mention for Gurcharan Singh Aulakh in Amritsar and Prem Prakash Srivastava in Varanasi.  They both were extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture of India in addition to knowing a great deal about the local monuments.

Hotels

****  Oberoi Maidens
***    Ritz Plaza
***    The Connaught—bathroom not clean; pigeons outside window
*****   Radisson
***       Howard Park Plaza
***** Trident Hilton
****  Ajith Bhawan Palace
**      Jaipur House—great location but overall cleanliness not up to par 
****     Shikarbadi
***    Shanti Palace—insufficient light in room

Overall

Excellent tour.  We would recommend your company to our friends and colleagues.  We would use you again if we return to India.

All the best,

Sheil

Sheila C. Koot
417 Gulf Road West Dartmouth, MA 02748
USA
(508) 994-3145

overline@hotmail.com

Varsha

We have returned from our trip and I just wanted to thank you and Compass for providing service and experience far above and beyond anything I could have hoped for.  We were met at every stop by one of your representatives, and our driver Murare was incredibly professional and helpful.  We enjoyed ourselves immensly, and above all there was never a time when we felt insecure.  Thank you and your company for a trip we won't soon forget.

Regards
 
Paul and Laura

anneli.jarn@welho.com


Hello Varsha,

Once again a big big thank for the journay.

I know it is very unpolite to ask if the book about Finland has received you, but I thought it was so important to show you how our country looked like.
Have a really nice year 2008,

Anneli & Channe
 Anneli Järn

mob. 044-0336 444

anneli.jarn@welho.com

a.mistry@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Dear Varsha

I have been extremely busy ever since I came back from our holiday in India. I just wanted to thank you for organising our tour. Please do not feel that we were put off by the various difficulties we encountered during our travels. This is all part and parcel of travelling.

I can say for the whole group that we appreciated the opportunity to meet you and Sanjay in Delhi. We enjoyed the meal and made all the more enjoyable with your pleasant company. I have written to thank Sanjay for his assistance during our tour and his company at the meal. I must say that Sanjay certainly made an impact whenever he got involved during the tour. Do let us know if you and your husband are ever in London as we would certainly like to meet you again. I have mentioned it to Sanjay that perhaps we could be invited on the occasion of his wedding, when it happens. Having met him, I am certain that whomever he decides to settle down with, will consider herself very fortunate.
I have been mentioning your organisation to people at work and one couple have asked to be given your details, when they decide to travel to India. I will keep you aware of this when it happens.

Thank you again for all your help and assistance.
I would like to wish you a happy new year.

Do keep in touch when you can get away from your work. It is easiest to contact me at work (see below) – after all, I seem to spend all my time here!
Best wishes


Arun

Arun Mistry
Director of Finance – Faculty of Biomedical Sciences
Faculty of Biomedical Sciences
University College London
The Medical School Building, 74 Huntley Street, WC1E 6AU
Email: a.mistry@medsch.ucl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7679 0891 (internal ext. 40891)
Fax: 020 7679 0896

lynn@lionscape.co.uk


Hi Varsha,


I am writing to thank you and your colleagues for the service provided for our 3 American clients on their recent trip.


Pete met up with them in Delhi this Friday and they all gave positive feedback and were happy with the city tours and guides provided, including Pushkar once the initial problems were sorted out. 


Thank you again and we hope to do further business with you in the future.

Kind regards


Lynn & Pete Cooper

Lionscape
PO Box 8077
Nottingham
NG13 8ZU
United Kingdom
(T) +44 (0)1949 839239
(M) +44 (0)770 2078324
www.lionscape.co.uk

dale.todd@maintel.co.uk


Hello Varsha

Thought I'd drop you a quick email to say we had a great time in India, with most things working according to plan and good recovery when they didn't.  So thank you very much for your patience with us and flexibility in putting together the trip.

Best regards

Dale

e.davingoff@tiscali.co.uk


Dear Varsha,

I wish to take this opportunity to thank you and all concerned for the wonderful tour that we have experienced.

In particular I would ask you to convey our sincerest best wishes to your representative Dileep in Agra who we found to be courteous ,obliging and attentive at all times, Our truly wonderful,carefull and pleasant driver Grish and  our guide Sanhir in Agra whose knowledge and enthusiasm of his subject was outstanding ,he was also a caring and compassionate man..

In all an experience we will treasure all our lives.


Wishing you and all your staff a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year

Ps. I would like to apologise for any misspelling of Names.

Kindest regards

Edward and Beverley Davingoff.

elisabetta.vilizzi@libero.it

Hi Varsha,

we would like to thank you and all your collegues for the great support you gave us in organizing our tour in Rajasthan, Mumbai and Kathmandu. I do travel a lot and, based on my experience, you and all Compasstours people are really the best travel agents I ever met!

A special thank from all the four of us to Mr Beer, our driver:he was really helpfully, very collaborative and always on duty, he did a fantastic job!

We are now thinking to visit soon South India and Laccadive Islands as soon as we  have the dates for our trip we will contact you again.

We wish you all the best,

Elisabetta, Giuseppe, Cristina and Luca

hugoann@absamail.co.za


Dear Varsha

This is just a short letter to tell you how much we enjoyed the tour which you arranged for us. Our only disappointment was that we did not meet you so that we could thank you personally.
Everybody was very friendly and helpful to us. We became very fond of the people we met.

Thank you again for your kind involvement.

Regards

Hugo

pfluckerv@bellsouth.net

Dear Varsha
We are back home after our extraordinary trip to your beautiful country... we had an amazing time over there and  my wife and I would like to extent to all your staff our sincere appreciation for all the kindness, politeness, and professionalism that anyone of them showed to us and made us feel at home.....

Sincerely,

Kyra & Gilberto

cmcrawford@westnet.com.au

Dear Shweta

The company is so good to us and so very helpful and thoughtful. 

We can’t praise Compass highly enough.  We loved our trip and the experiences you organised for us.  I only wish we’d had even longer to explore some of the fascinating places we visited.

Our driver, Piarchand was exceptional.  We enjoyed his company and were always safe with his excellent driving skills.  He really was very thoughtful when I became sick.  Peri cried when we left him in Delhi because she said she would miss him AND the car!!!

Our hotels were fabulous but I didn’t really like the one at Mandaw or Bikaneer that much because they were pretty old and run down and didn’t give us any water and that was when I was really sick.  This could have coloured my viewpoint a bit as Mark and Peri didn’t complain.

Also, we didn’t know that on arrival in Nepal we would need $100 cash in US dollars for visas and that was a real hassle, especially as I was still really sick there.  We took ages to get out of the airport.

I think I have already told you about our wonderful guides.  I can’t remember all their names but the man in Delhi was great and the one at Agra was truly exceptional.  Sham in Jaipur was also exceptional as was Vickram at Udaipur.  Sham took me shopping for saris in the truly Indian way and that was an absolute ball!  I just loved being smothered in layer after layer of gorgeous fabric.  It was so hard to select just one.  I ended up with 4!  The temple at Ranakpur was incredible and so worth seeing.  We bought some wonderful carpets nearby there and that in itself was a great experience.  Our guide in Jodhpur, I cannot recall his name but I will never forget him.  He was a beautiful man and so well educated and his knowledge of the area and history was detailed and totally fascinating.  I Iearned so much from him.  I remember he said he had been to Australia last year to visit an uncle in Melbourne.  He was a lovely man and we loved the time spent with him.  Also, he had the coolest shoes and took us to a really fabulous place for fabrics and textiles and I just loved that.

You know, I really learned a lot about marble and granite and sandstone and how to tell true quality stone from the ordinary.  I particularly loved the buttery golden stone of Jaisalmer.  The way it wears down to become so soft and shiny and smooth.  Sandstone in Australia is always ‘sandy’ and grainy.  Not at all like the Indian sandstone.

Nepal was great and I finally saw a doctor there and she got me on the road to recovery quickly.  ( I should mention that Piarchand was always wanting to get me a doctor but I kept thinking I’d be fine the next day.  I should have listened to him and got one sooner, but not to worry.)  Our guides there were all so friendly, fun and knowledgeable.  The hotels were gorgeous too.  We loved Fishtail Lodge but the beds were as hard as rocks.  It was so nice there though, we made allowances!  It’s a gorgeous place.

I am almost forgetting the truly magical night we spent in Deogarh.  What a gorgeous place and a simply stunning location.  Their nightly entertainment with some most unusual dancers that danced sitting down and with cymbals on their arms and legs, was fantastic and mesmerizing.  To have dinner on the castle walls and watch the sun set was just exquisite

 Truly Shweta, there were so many ‘moments’ like this that just cannot be compared to anything else.

I always find after traveling that I need a few weeks to process my experiences and let it all sink in.  As soon as we arrived home we had to head straight back to work and change our brainspace back from being in India to being back at school.  That was hard to do after such overwhelming experiences.  I mean being in Varanasi and on the Ganges one day and then in my classroom the next, it was pretty much ‘culture shock’ for me for a while

My class loved all the gifts I bought back for them and they hear a little more each day about India.  We took so many photos.  They have filled 3 CDs.

I hope this feedback is helpful and we cannot praise Compass highly enough.

Colleen

Hello, Shweta—
I am also sorry that we did not have a chance to meet--I hope your dental agonies are over.  We enjoyed the tour very much and have no major complaints. The Wall Street hotel in Jaipur was perhaps not up to the standards of the other accomodation (no hot water from the sink tap) and the tents in Pushkar could have used a second sheet on the beds, between us and the quilted top covers. There was a bottom sheet but that was all. It struck us as not hygenic. The breakfasts at the Pushkar Bagh were also sub-standard. Nevertheless, seeing the Pushkar Fair was a highlight of the tour.  

We experienced our most outstanding guides in Jaipur (Vikram), Agra (Vishu), and Varanasi (Aman Chouderey). Among the rest, a couple of them struggled with English, but on the whole all were helpful.

Arrangements with regard to food were inconsistent. In some cities we had a say in where we wanted to eat while in others not only the restaurant but the choice of what to eat was all prearranged.

Naturally, we like it best when we had a say in where and what to eat.

Some days we had "tourist tummy" and had no desire to eat three big daily meals.

You may want to offer travellers the option of not having all meals included in the package--that would be our preference on future tours of India.

Your agents in every city were deeply solicitous of our well being. I would recommend Compass to any Canadian friends wishing to travel in India. I understand more hotels are being built so travel there will be even better in future. Some of this critique has already been made by my husband Daniel to your colleague Sanjay, but I wanted to let you know as well.

I hope to meet you when I'm back in Delhi some day. Sincerely,

Judy

christinakarpodinis@hotmail.com

Dear Shweta, and to all at Compass India,
 
We have arrived home now with wonderful memories of India.  What an amazing country, and so different to anything we have experienced before.  We have to thank you for your wonderful organization of our trip that meant that it all went smoothly and we had a worry-free trip.  As soon as we arrived at Dehli airport we felt that your company was there to do all you could to make our trip a memorable and happy one - for this we must thank you. 
 
At every destination we were met by your representatives who all made it clear to us that anything we needed we were not to hesitate to contact them.  All hotels had our bookings and all made us very comfortable.  We must especially mention the hotel at Udaiphur who gave us a wonderful room in the palace.  At every destination we had our own guides who took us around the sites and told us about the history, religion, architecture etc in a clear and interesting manner.
 
I especially would like to thank our driver, Narenda, who was constantly helpful, kind, courteous and good fun.  Our trip would not have been quite so enjoyable without him.  I would also like to especially mention our guide in Jodphur - Raghu Rathore, who was also very kind, knowledgable and fun to spend the day with.
 
I do not want to detract from the wonderful time we had but I would like to say a few things that might help to make other customer's tours even better.
 
As you know my friend had an accident on our horse ride.  We do not blame anyone for this.  Both of us ride regularly and we both understand that these things can happen around horses - a fact of riding I am sorry to say.  However, neither of us are novice riders although both of us would admit to not being very brave riders.  I have my own horse here in Greece and ride him, and other horses most days.  Of course we did not know the horses we were given in Rajasthan, and they did not know us.  However I would like to say that they were obviously not used to being riden by strangers and they were very, very lively and, consequently, very hard to control.  As I have said, niehter Katerina or myself are beginners and I would say that most people would have had a difficult time with these particular animals.  I would only suggest that if other clients want to go for riding that perhaps it might be better if they went to stables where the horses are used to being ridden by riders of all levels and that get ridden on a regular basis.  I believe that there are quite a number of stables around Jodphur - maybe they would be a safer bet?  I am sorry that this happened as the place from which we went riding was a beautiful little old palace, which was so peaceful and I am sure the people who own the horses are eager to make a living out of them.  I could only suggest for them that they need more horses, rather than the four they had, who are calmer and more used to being ridden by many different riders.
 
Those things said we had a wonderful trip all in all and I hope very much that at some time in the future we will be able to visit India again - we would like to tour the south of India which, I believe, has a different feel to it.  Should this happen I would certainly book through your company again and I would like to have the same driver for the whole trip and Raghu to show us around.  I will certainly be recommending your company to anyone who wants to visit India.
 
Thank you once again for a memorable and magical trip.

Yours sincerely

Christina Lambert-Karpodinis

myers44@optonline.net


Dear Shweta,


The trip was fabulous!  Getting to experience India first hand was a trip of a lifetime.  There were too many highlights to mention them all.  Thank you for making it happen.

Our driver Joshi and his assistant Bhoopi were exceptional.  Joshi learned quickly what things we wanted to see in addition to the normal tourist attractions.  He would initiate many side trips and events.  He would take us walking through small villages, stopping at weddings on the roadside, visiting local farmers, meeting village families and being invited into their homes, and touring local schools.  These were among the best things we did during the 32 days in India.  During these visits no one was trying to sell us anything.  No one was holding out their hand wanting to be paid or tipped.  We loved this.  Much different than visiting a dhurrie rug factory, or a textile shop, or an inlaid marble store where the guide was looking for his commission and the craftsman wanted us to buy his expensive product.  This was even better than seeing the forts and temples.  Not that it wasn’t interesting, but nowhere near as fascinating as seeing how real people live and not the people that sell things to foreign tourists.  (Just as an aside, you should warn American/European tourists that driving in India is not for the faint of heart.  Every day they will face many dangerous situations on the roads in India.  Driving in America is quite different – no cows, no goats, no ox-carts, no tractors, no camel-carts, no tuktuks moving at 15 km/hr, etc. and tourists should probably be warned.)
The hotels were excellent value.  They were all clean and well maintained. With only two exceptions they more than met our expectations.  The hotel in Varanasi – Palace on Ganges – very importantly on the Ganges – but our room didn’t even have a window!  Ouch.  And the hotel in Pushkar - Pushkar Palace - no longer has a restaurant so we had to have our breakfast in our room and it appears a bit run down.   Some were spectacular like the Deogarh Mahal and the Samode Palace.

The details for the trip were well taken care of.  With only a few exceptions during the nearly five weeks of travel we were disappointed.  The guides were always waiting for us at our hotels.  They spoke excellent English and were informative, intelligent, and knowledgeable about the sites.  The hotel reservations were almost always in order and the hotel was aware of our needs with only a couple of minor exceptions.  We of course needed two rooms, one for us and one for my sister-in-law and her husband - the Zebelmans.  For the first couple of hotels there was a discrepancy in quality between the two rooms (they should have been the same level of comfort) and we were always having to remind the hotels that we had reserved king-sized beds. 
If I were to take this trip again I would suggest several changes.  There was too much driving.  We drove approximately 4100 kilometers in 28 days.  I would recommend that there be several rest days – like staying at Deogarh and Samode in order to sit by the pool and relax.  I would also suggest that we would spend 2 weeks less in Rajasthan.  One doesn’t need to see every fort and palace.  Perhaps take the train from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer and then back to Delhi to save some 4 solid days of driving.  Too much time in the van – Tempo Traveler.  But the money to take a van instead of a car was money well spent.  To be able to spread out in the van was very important in terms of comfort.  The two weeks removed from our trip in Rajasthan could have been spent as one week in Kerala and one week in the mountains perhaps Darjeeling .  This would add to the expense of the trip, with two more flights, but would greatly change the scenery and we would have experienced more varied parts of the country.

Minor problem.  The last nights dinner at the Laseez Faire restaurant on the way to the airport was fine.  We were shown a drink menu but there wasn’t any beer on the menu.  When we asked about beer they offered several possible choices of imported beer.  The meal was included as part of our trip but the two beers with service charge and VAT came to 1100 Rupees.  By far the most expensive beer I have ever purchased and we live in New York City, one of the most expensive cities in the world.  We questioned the charge with the waiters and then with the owner but he assured us that they always charge this much for imported beer.  Mind you, it isn’t the cost, we could afford it, it was that we felt we were being taken advantage of.  We paid for the beer.  The Compass Rep, Samesh, was terrific and quite understanding and reimbursed us for the beer.  I just thought you should be aware of the situation.  It left a bad taste, not of India nor of Compass tours, but for that restaurant and we wanted you to let the restaurant know that they should readjust the price of the beer or at least make the person aware of the cost of this most expensive beer before ordering it.
Again, Thank you for an amazing trip.  We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Compass Tours to anyone thinking of traveling in India.  *****  Five Stars to Compass.

Howie

Howard & Paula Myers
10 Georgia Lane
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
USA

914-271-4395

peggy7781@hotmail.com


Dear Geetha,

It would be my pleasure to provide a reference for your company.  I recently received an e-mail from a lady named Patricia who had been given my name by your company as a reference.   I copied my reply below-please feel free to use any portion of it.  I would also be happy to have future guest contact me.  I would ask that you give them my personal e-mail address (peggy7781@hotmail.com) as I check it regularly and only check other one periodically.
Peggy


Sorry it has taken me so long to reply.  Shweta gave you my work e-mail which I have not been checking regularly as I am not working at the moment.


You will have a wonderful time  in India.  I loved it!  I cannot tell you enough good things about Shweta and her company.  Everything, and I mean every last detail, was exactly as Shweta told me it would be.    She was a pleasure to work with, very knowledgeable, informative and responsive.  I had never traveled to India before and relied on her advice for some of our destinations and she directed us to some  I would never have considered.   The trip we planned with Shweta lasted 12 nights.   My husband and daughter went to India in Jan 07 and Shweta planned their 5 night trip and everything was exactly as expected.  We are already looking forward to going again next year and there is no question but that Shweta will help me plan it.

We were met at the airport in Delhi by a very friendly guide, introduced to our driver and delivered to our hotel, where a Compass agent checked us in.  It was the same at each destination.  We never, ever had to worry about where we were going, how were we going to get there, etc.  We were able to relax and enjoy our trip.  We had a different guide in each city, but only changed drivers when we would fly to a new city.  The driver is such a help in knowing what you are seeing.  For example, there were food vendors on the street and I was fascinated by what they were selling.  He would explain to me what the food was and offer to stop so I could sample if I wanted.
I am looking back over this e-mail and I sound like a raving fan, which is exactly what I am.  Rarely have I found a company that provided the level of service that Compass and Shweta did.  I would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have and would do so more promptly if you were to send them to peggy7781@hotmail.com.


Enjoy your trip,

Peggy

mdvc@ya.com 

This was their second tour with Compass

 Hello Durjay.

We are at home, and I am mailing you because I want to thank you the beautiful tour you did for us.

As always, everything was perfect, the Rajasthan is really beautiful and the tour was very well organized. We enjoyed everything and every minute of the holidays.

The guide Vikram and the driver were really good, You can recommend them to anyone and if some friend of mine ever come to India, they will ask for them.

Well Durjay once more I want to thank you. On my last day I wanted to say goodbye to you but as it was Saturday I did not want to call you because you might be on holidays.

Thanks again

Ana Maria wants to go to Nepal or Sri Lanka. They will be 2 persons the time it will be September (Beginning). A trip about 10-12 days at your advice

Could you please sent some good itineraries for them to choose where to go?

Thanks again

Dolores

janetejohnston@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Shweta,

Thank you for all your help in making my trip to India happen. It was fantastic. Attached should be two separate feedback forms. Jane and I both wrote one. They are long :-) We felt it was important to let you have details.

Thanks again
Janet Johnston

PS, forgot to put it in the feedback...the present of the pashmina at the end was very thoughtful and unexpected, it almost made up for the fact we had to go back to the metro hotel!!!!!

JANET’S FEEDBACK:
Feedback information
April 2008 trip 05.04.08 – 17.04.08
Janet Johnston

Overall:
Overall the trip was fantastic and my feedback is mostly positive

Booking and pre tour info:
The communication between Compass India and me was excellent. Any questions I had were answered, any requests were passed on and I felt very confident when I set out to the airport that everything would run smoothly

Representatives:
The representatives who met us in each city were organised, friendly and efficient. The fact they followed up on how things were during our visit and at the end of our stay in their respective cities was very impressive.
On the few occasions we had a problem, which was usually to do with air con J or query these were dealt with immediately and their communication with the hotel meant that we were looked after very well.
The requests we had made in regards to the city we were in were listened to and the representatives were responsive to any schedule changes we wanted to make.

Driver:
I would recommend our driver Radjesh to anyone and hope that Compass travel continue to recognise his full worth as an employee.

He was always punctual, reliable, pleasant and informative; he was good company throughout the trip and formed the foundation of our trip, the one common element for the entire stay.
Radjesh was professional, unassuming and unobtrusive during the entire trip, as well as being informative and accommodating. He went out of his way to find some of the sights we wanted to see as well as pointing out others as we drove between cities. He answered our questions and told us much about the sights and culture we were experiencing.
Radjesh was more than willing to drive us around in the evening and some of our best meals out were during this time, when we had the chance to visit and eat in restaurants that we had researched and decided we wanted to try.

Guides:
The guides were a mixed bunch, predominantly good but with one being very disinterested in really meeting our needs during the day we were with him.

Delhi –
He was knowledgeable and efficient and very personable as a guide.
Two issues arose during this part of our trip

1) The day we had with him was a day the red fort was shut, thankfully Compass travel were able to accommodate our desire to see this on our return to Delhi at the end. It would be useful to tailor itineraries according to the days people will be in the cities, rather than saying day one, day two etc, this would mean that any opening times and closed days could be factored in. Had we missed the red fort we would have been very disappointed as it was a highlight.

2) We requested lunching in a particular restaurant and this was not positively received.  We explained why we wanted to go where we had chosen and various reasons were given back to us as to why we should not go there and go to the ‘usual’ place. We gave in and the restaurant we were taken to was smoking, I have asthma and not strictly vegetarian, which was another issue. In future the price should be made a little higher and include lunch stops, then there is no issue as to why you can not go where you want.

Agra-
There was a balance of time to listen and talk together as well as time to go off and explore on our own at the sights. He had a good knowledge of the sights we visited and was flexible to change the programme to fit our needs to allow us more time at the taj Mahal.

Ranthambhore-
The guides on safaris were mixed; two seemed very focused and looked as if they were working hard to spot pugmarks and other things to help us on our search for a tiger. The second guide was more interested in using his own camera and binoculars and talking to the driver…it was me that spotted the leopard….. walking passed the guides jeep door!!!!! A big highlight!!!  As was the tiger sighting on our third safari

Jaipur-
Our guide had information to impart but did not seem very interested in sharing it with us. He came across as disinterested and rushed us through the sights. By the end Jane had to ask for him to allow time for us to look around. I was feeling unwell at this point in the trip and may not have been as engaged as I could have been, but this should not then be seen as permission for the guide to disengage as well and do less than expected of him. I would not recommend using him again.

Jodhpur-
Our guide was excellent; he was knowledgeable and also interested in our thoughts and ideas. He answered questions in detail but also gave us time to explore and look around on our own. He was conscious of our needs and looked for shady places to explain things to us, to let us rest in and also facilities we could use were necessary. This was very useful to me in particular and meant my time there was manageable.

Udaipur-
Having our guide meet us on route at the jain temple so to guide us round there and then drive us to Udaipur was fabulous.
He was aware of our requests and accommodated them. High tea was a highlight, with a view over the lake towards the palace. There was no pressure to rush or miss things out. The balance between him talking to us and us exploring was ideal.
He went out of his way to make sure we were well taken care of.

Hotels
In general very good, except for Delhi, this was disappointing

Delhi – Metro heights
It was dirty and generally in poor condition. In particular the bathrooms were very dirty.
As the first place you get to, it does not bode well for the rest of the trip and we did have reservations about the quality of the hotels on offer. As a start and finish place it means you begin and end with an unpleasant experience, which is not the best. If it were possible to have another hotel, even if the price up to go up slightly, I would recommend it. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Agra- Hotel Amar
This hotel was clean and spacious and a huge step up from Metro heights. We had a few issues with room service, but this did not spoil the stay

Ranthambhore- the Pugmark
Fantastic, the hotel highlight of the trip!!!! It was clean, spacious, comfortable and beautifully maintained. The food included in this part of the trip was good, there was a mix of Indian and non Indian food, which many people would find appealing. I personally loved the Indian food.
The pool was divine and an excellent place to relax in and by after a long day in a jeep!!!!

Jaipur- Madawa haveli
The building was beautiful and the rooms more than adequate. The communial rooms were great as well, with no pressure to purchase food or drink. An excellent choice.

Jodhpur – Devi Bhawan
This got a good write up in the rough guide and deserved it. Another excellent hotel with beautifully maintained gardens and pool area.  There was a smell at times that was rather horrid, particularly when at the pool, but nothing that was out of the ordinary for India

Udaipur – Jagat Niwas Palace
Fabulous J
If we had had a lake view room it would have been perfect…maybe putting the price up a little to guarantee this would be an idea. Even so, our internal room as bright and spacious enough. The hotel was stunning and the highlight was the roof restaurant, which we ended up eating at twice!!! The view was sublime and the service excellent

Overall:
The service received from Compass was excellent; nothing was left to chance and at no point were we ever disappointed (other than the lunch choice issueJ.)

I would recommend Compass to my friends and family and already have!!!!
I usually travel independently and catch planes, trains and automobiles on my own….. but this was great…. and would meet the needs of any traveller.

WELL DONE
Thank you
Janet Johnston

JANE’S FEEDBACK:

At the end of our trip to India with Compass Travel we were asked for some feedback and my experience of this trip was so positive I am enclosing the following feedback.

Overall Experience:
Overall this holiday was fantastic, the organisation was very good and our care during this time was seamless.

Driver:
Our driver was excellent; his driving was safe and consistent. Radjesh was very appropriate throughout the trip and as two women travelling together around India this was really important. I have several female friends who have expressed some concerns about travelling without a male companion in India and I would have no reservations about recommending Compass Travel to them and in particular Radjesh. He was professional and accommodating, going out of his way to find some of the sights and establishments which Janet and I asked to visit in our e-mail to Compass Travel prior to our trip. He pointed out sights as we drove between cities, answering our questions about sights and culture in India. He was always punctual, pleasant and good company throughout our trip. He was unassuming and unobtrusive throughout. I have nothing negative to say about our experience of Radjesh and hope that Compass Travel will continue to recognise his full worth as an employee of the company.

Representatives:
We were met by a Compass Travel representative in each city we visited and they checked on our progress every day. Representatives were pleasant and efficient. Any minor difficulties were dealt with immediately and they were responsive to any schedule changes we wanted to make to the programme. I have nothing negative to say about the level of service we received from Compass Travel representatives and felt very confident that should any problems arise during our trip to India the care we received was so comprehensive these would have been swiftly managed. I have several older family friends who have expressed concerns around travelling to India due to health or mobility difficulties and again I would have no reservations about recommending Compass Travel to them especially in light of the careful service we received from representatives.

Guides:
Delhi – Our guide in Delhi was good. He was very knowledgeable and efficient. We requested to visit a restraint of our choice for lunch but this was not facilitated. I can see that due to distance and traffic that this may not have been easy but the place we were taken would not have been our choice. It may be useful to warn people in advance that lunch spots would be recommended or increase the price slightly and include lunch on the days spent sightseeing so travellers are clear that choice is not always possible. The Red Fort was not open on our day spent sight seeing in Delhi which was a great disappointment as this was one of the things I particularly wanted to see. Compass Travel did everything possible to rectify this and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to visit the fort on our return to Delhi. It may be useful to tailor itinerary according to the days travellers are in cities and the opening times of sights.
Agra – Our guide in Agra was very good. He had a good knowledge of the sights and was able to answer our questions. There was a good balance of information as well as plenty of time to enjoy the sights and spend time exploring on our own. This was a nice balance which really enhanced my enjoyment of the magnificent sights in Agra which I have wanted to visit for a long time. The guide was flexible to change the programme to allow us more time at the Taj Mahal and visit the Pink Fort the following morning.

Ranthambhore – The guides for safari were mixed, some better than others but on the whole I was very satisfied with our experiences on safari.

Jaipur – Our guide in Jaipur was knowledable and able to provide us with information and stories which were very interesting. However he presented as quite disinterested and was often rushing us through sights. Both Janet and I have busy, stressful jobs so holidays are very important to us. It is important to get a good balanced between interesting, insightful information and relaxed time to reflect and enjoy the sights we are visiting. I would not recommend this guide to others and had to specifically ask for more time in the end. Also Janet was unwell at this time and there was little thought of slowing down or ensuring that she had shade or rest when needed.

Jodhpur – Our guide in Jodhpur was excellent. He was very knowledgeable, gentle and unassuming. It was a pleasure to spend time with him and to hear so much interesting information from him. He gave us a really good balance of information and time on our own to explore. When he realised Janet was unwell he looked for shady places to explain things, rest and facilities.

Udaipur – Our guide in Udaipur was also excellent. He met us at the Jain temple and travelled with us to Udaipur. He allowed us time to enjoy High Tea, one of the highlights we had requested and did not put any pressure on us. He was very knowledgeable and interesting. He also gave a really nice balance of interesting information and time to explore. He also looked for shady places to explain information and went out of his way to ensure that we were well taken care of.

Hotels:
Delhi – I would not recommend the Metro Heights hotel to anyone visiting Delhi. It was not very clean, sheets were dirty and it was generally in quite a poor condition.

Agra – The hotel in Agra was clean and spacious. Room service was a little limited but on the whole in made a very pleasant change from the Metro Heights.

Ranthambhore – The hotel in Ranthambhore was excellent. It was clean, spacious and comfortable. The pool was ideal for relaxing and the complex was beautifully maintained, I would strongly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting India.

Jaipur – The hotel in Jaipur was also excellent. The room was spacious, cool and very comfortable. The pool was a little shaded but the building was beautiful. Room service was very good and the communal areas were comfortable and nicely maintained.

Jodhpur – The hotel in Jodhpur was also excellent. It was spacious and comfortable. The pool was nicely positioned and maintained. There was no hot water but for our visit this was not necessary. The communal areas were very pleasant and room service was good. There was a slight smell which we noticed at certain times but this was not enough to impact upon the pleasant environment of the complex.

Udaipur – The hotel in Udaipur was also excellent. Despite being an internal room it was still quite bright and spacious. It was clean and cool. The building itself was beautiful and the restaurant was outstanding, partly for the stunning views and partly for its excellent food and service.