Commendation
From: Zahir Shamji
To: varsha@compassindiainc.com
Sent: 08 March 2010 09:04
Subject: Hi
Hello Varsha,
We just got back home last week. I would like to say that the trip you arranged for us was very good. Hotels were ok but the driver Jeet was very very good, courtious and yet very proffesional. Please convey our appreciation to him again.
Thank you
Zahir Shamji
From: T MORIN
To: varsha_compass@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, 4 March 2010 10:49:48 -0700
Subject: Re: Check out my photos on Facebook
Greetings Varsha,
We were very pleased to receive your e-mail and invitation to become a friend on Facebook. So far Tom and I have not joined, but when we do we will surely enjoy what you have posted.
We have been meaning to e-mail you to tell you what a wonderful experience our tour was. We had a marvelous time.
We have traveled often though Asia. Compass India is by far the best agency we have ever had the pleasure of working with. The guides were so informative and attentive;our driver was the best; the hotels more than met our expectations (with the exception of the Lallgarth Palace which was lovely on the outside but very basic on the inside); the Forts and Palaces were incredible! It was a very secure feeling to know that at each stop on our adventure a representative of Compass was there to make sure we were being taken care of and satisfied with our accommodations. Thank you so much for your attention to detail!
We have one comment we feel is important to mention so that you may consider a different decision if this particular situation arises again. When we left New Delhi for Agra it was already dark and the fog was very thick. We could not have asked for a safer driver but the 6 hour drive in those conditions were very stressful and we feel dangerous. It would have been better to change our plans and leave the next day.
We have given your name and e-mail to Doris Francis who is thinking of making a trip to India with her husband. If they do decide to go we are sure they will use Compass after the recommendation we have given them!
Thanks again for a great vacation!!
Thank you, Varsha,
Best Regards,
Jerri Morin
From: Christoph Adamski
To: Varsha
Sent: 22 February 2010 05:54
Subject: RE: Thank You
Varsha
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Things have been somewhat hectic. Here are my comments on our trip
Overall: Flawless execution, the problems we experienced were truly cases of force majeur, and even then your organization delivered beyond expectations! Example: Assistance in Ahmedabad, when our flight was diverted from Delhi, arrangements and assistance in Mumbai when we had to reschedule our departure from Delhi to Mumbai just to name few.
Itinerary: Good choice, Varanasi should be a must on any itinerary of Northern India. Suggest to build in the evening excursion to the Ganges as a standard feature. No need to visit Samode
Hotels: Outstanding, we only regret we did not have enough time to fully take advantage of the services and amenities offered Guides: Excellent with the exception of the gentleman who took my family to Samode. As a general rule guides should be able to provide historical context of what the visitor gets to see. Strongest guide in that respect was the gentleman who took us through Jaipur (Amber Fort)
As an aside could you please provide us with the names and addresses of the guides who took us through Varanasi and Ranthambore. We promised to send them pictures.
Drivers: Excellent, courteous and reliable; the gentleman who stayed with us from Jaipur to Delhi was outstanding. If we could have a contact address for him, we promised to send him some pictures.
Conclusion: You and your organization delivered a truly memorable experience, please feel free to use me as a reference
Also, we are currently considering to come back to India, this time we would like to do a tour of Southern India. Any suggestions?
Per your request I enclose two pictures which might be useful for your website!
Best Regards
Christoph Adamski
From: John & Christine Searson,
To: Shweta
Subject: Colourful Rajasthan with Taj Mahal & Delhi (Feb 2010)
Hi Shweta,
We have just arrived home after the most fantastic holiday we have had (and we have had a few). From the moment we first contacted you to boarding the plane for the return flight from Delhi, you and your colleagues have made this a most memorable experience.
The arrangements made us feel very special at all times, this is due to the individual attention we received throughout the holiday for example being met and escorted at the Airport, at check-in / check-out at each hotel all done for us, the guides to show and explain the places we visited and above all our driver RAMESH who we became very attached to, an excellent driver and accommodated our requests without question.
This was our first visit to “Incredible India”, but it certainly will not be the last and I have no hesitation in recommending Compass India to anyone considering a holiday there.
John & Christine Searson,
Devon, UK
From: Audrey Longson To: Sukriti & Sue
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2010 4:32 AM
Subject: India Trip
Dear Sukriti and Sue,
Just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you both for a really wonderful trip to Northern India! We have been recommending Compass India to friends and family since our return to the USA. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!! We felt safe, healthy, and comfortable the entire time and we are grateful for all of your help and recommendations.
I am including links below to some of the photos we took on our trip - let me know what you think!
Thanks again for a great vacation!!
Sincerely,
Audrey & Adam Longson
Northern New Jersey/New York City
United States of America
From: Jay Freeman
To: Shweta
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 2:07 PM
Subject: Our trip to India--January 2010
India 2010 by Jay Freeman
What is it that compels Patricia and me to return to India for a fourth time, after 15 years? The region we chose in 2010 is Tamil Nadu, a province in the south.The climate is hot and humid. The towns and cities are unpleasant places to walk about, with clouds of air pollution and sewage odours. It seems as if every form of road transport, whether it be a truck, car or three wheeled auto rickshaw, is an emergency vehicle with horns blaring every few seconds. The poverty is unremitting, with the occasional islands of luxury in five star hotels and wealthy enclaves. The population has outgrown the infrastructure. Side walks are intermittent, Toilets are few and far between and power failures frequent. Tap water is undrinkable and hygiene questionable.
To move about the visitor relies on the rented car with driver. You do not want to drive your own car in India. Traffic lights are rare in towns and villages and most intersections in the cities. So busy roads are a study in chaotic madness. The white line down the middle of a highway is only a suggestion as to how opposing traffic should be divided. Our driver, Sadiq, was often forced off to the shoulder to avoid a head on collision with large trucks and buses. Sadiq never got upset by this. It's all quite normal in India.
And yet in spite of all these inconveniences we keep returning. For India is a fascinating country, rich in history, culture and all the arts. And it is a country most educated Westerners hardly know. Our schooling is centered around the American and European experience. Yet here stands India, 1.1 billion souls, with a rich, varied and mysterious civilization that goes back thousands of years. Each previous visit intrigued us, invited our curiosity and kept calling us back for more.
We spent 16 days and many hours on the roads connecting one destination to the next. At each stop we saw many Hindu temples dedicated to either Vishnu, The Preserver or Shiva, The Destroyer. For centuries the region was ruled by civilizations such as the Pallava, Chola and Pandya. Inspired by the many Gods and legends, they built incredibly ornate temples festooned with carvings on columns, walls and holy sanctuaries. We saw the great temples at Tanjore, Mamalapurim, Trichy, Madurai and Kanchipuram.
But this visit was more than an exploration of Indian temple architecture. We also wanted to see the traditional classical dances called Bharatanatyam. There is an annual music and dance festival held in Chennai (formerly Madras), each year in December and January and we were able to see six performances. The best was a story from the Mahabharata about a king losing his fortune and his wife to another king during a game of dice. It was told through music, dance and pantomime in brilliant fashion by the Kalakshetra School, equivalent to our own Julliard School of Performing Arts. The final dance of liberation from the clutches of the greedy king was so thrilling it received enthusiastic audience applause. It brought tears of joy to my eyes, something no Western dance performance has ever accomplished.
While going from one town to the next we made stops to see markets and craft centers. We saw loom weaving and a bronze foundry where statues of Hindu Gods were produced for homes and temples. We witnessed the harvesting of sea salt, rice planting and rope making.
After crossing into the neighbouring state of Kerala we had a chance to hike in the Periyar Sanctuary, a conservation area set aside for elephants, tigers and other wild animals. We saw none but were able to climb to the top of a large hill and get a view over the surroundings. It was a pleasant break from the crowds and the hours of sitting in a car. By coincidence a solar eclipse was anticipated and we raced down the hill to get a better view through coloured plastic sheets and reflections in still water.
The harvest festival, called Pongal, was being celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Oxen had their horns painted bright colours and special Pongal food was on offer. That brings up the subject of food in general. South India is known for its spices and a vegetarian can enjoy a wonderful range of tasty dishes. We certainly did at the frequent buffet dinners served in our hotels. We ate thali meals in local restaurants as well.
The hotels were mostly part of the Taj chain and were lavish and a sharp contrast with life outside the cloistered walls. Security inspection greeted us at each hotel including an examination under each vehicle using mirrors. It's all because of last year's terrorist attack on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. The hotel room in Pondicherry, formerly a French enclave, was not so wonderful. It was not part of the Taj chain. Wall sockets and bathroom fixtures would would fall apart in your hands. Pulling a curtain cord, resulted in the curtain coming down. And the TV was placed in such a way as you could not watch it while lying in bed. All in all it was a very challenging room.
India has adapted to the computer and internet age and since our last visit cell phones are now everywhere. In fact they have literally skipped over the land line technology. We learned there are only 40 million land lines but 510 million cell phones. Contrast this with the United States which has about 270 million land lines and about the same number of cell phones. Indian cell phones are relatively inexpensive and have transformed communication here. Our driver and guides were frequently being phoned and cell phones pop up in odd places. We have seen Hindu priests and classical dancers in costume using them.
Just before reaching Pondicherry we stopped at Auraville, an ashram founded by a woman referred to as The Mother. People from all corners of the world gather there in pursuit of peace, friendship and brotherly love. A huge golden sphere was constructed for meditation inside its hollow interior. The thing must have been at least 200 ft in diameter and took years to complete. It all seemed very laudable but a bit too abstract for my taste.
We could not help but notice the friendliness of the Indian people. They were, without exception, genuinely polite and good natured. We could not possibly purchase all the products and services being offered to us but all the sellers accepted the disappointment with grace. I cannot say that about numerous other countries we have visited. Although Hindus represent 90% of the population there is a harmonious relationship between them and the Christian and Muslim communities.
On our last day in Chennai Patricia went off to find an art gallery. After getting lost, a helpful young Indian offered to show her the way. He also offered her opium which he claimed is of the highest quality in India. Even he cheerfully accepted a rejection of the offer.
Our return journey began at 1:30am when we were driven to the Chennai airport for a 4am departure. Eleven hours later we landed at Heathrow airport, exhausted from jet lag and a sleepless night but stimulated and happy with the vivid memories we now carry with us.
Jay Freeman
From: MR. AZADALI LADHANI & FAMILY
To: Varsha
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010
Hi Varsha.
Sorry for the late reply.
Yes, we had a great time. We had a challenging schedule, but yoy and your staff did a superb job co-ordinating everything. We were well received by your staff/associates at all our stops. The guides and Drivers were very courteous. Most hotels were excellent. Overall, all acommodations were very good.
We would love to visit again and when we do you will be our tour company.
Thanks.
Amin; please feel free to add your comments.
Azad
From: Ma. Gabriela Valverde Farfán (ecuagiros)
To: Durjay Sengupta
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 11:46 PM
Subject: COMPASS !!!
Dear Durjay and Sue,
We had a GREAT experience in India and Nepal. Compass service is extraordinary. Thank you for everything!
Namaste!
From: Kristine Berger
To: Shweta
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 3:39 PM
Subject: Re: First Timer India Mail Through Luxury Tours India.net
Hello again Schweta,
Here we are back home and surrounded by snow - Dieter is just clearing our drive.
I would like to thank you for arranging our holiday, which was a great success. The organisation, promptness, efficiency and friendliness of all concerned was impressive.Everything went as planned and there were no problems. We were really well taken care of.
The only things I found hard to take were the abject poverty we saw, especially the mothers and children. It was distressing to see people living the way they do. It was also very unusual for us to not be able to go anywhere alone - usually we book flights and hotels and go everywhere by ourselves. In India we had rightly realised this was hardly possible owing to the street and traffic conditions, but I did miss it.
We will remember the holiday as it was so diffferent from any other. I particularly enjoyed talking to the guides and drivers who gave me an insight to your fascinating customs and lifestyle, so different from ours.
It was so nice to meet you, thanks for arranging the meeting,
All the best and take care,
Kristine
From : Tim George; Anupama
To: Anupama Singh
Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2010 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: Flight - Amritsar-Delhi [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear Anupama,
Many thanks to you and everyone at Compass for an excellent holiday in India - quite fascinating and enjoyable. We were very well looked after. We also appreciated the considerable trouble Compass went to to make alternative arrangements for us once fog in northern India meant we needed a change in itinerary.
We look forward to travelling again with Compass some time in the future.
Best regards
Tim 9/1/10
From: Mark Curran
To: Durjay
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 6:55 AM
Subject: Wonderful trip
Dear Compass India,
My wife and I would like to thank you for the wonderful service provided by your company during our recent trip.
I can only say that you and your staff far exceeded any reasonable expectations we may have had in relation to service, the quality of accommodation and the general experience of our trip.
Beginning particularly with Anchal, every member of your staff that we contacted was invariably helpful, polite, cheerful, creative and just basically nice.
The comfort of being met at every airport and assisted to our hotel was beyond value.
In many cases, and in particular during the fog delays in Jaipur, the local agent went far beyond what would be generally expected, managing to reschedule lost flights with a different airline, thus ensuring our eventual arrival in Kochi when it would appear that many others in similar situations did not.
In every case, the accommodation provided was excellent and of a higher standard than expected. Where hotels were not ultra-modern and 'international' in style, they were more traditional and provided other attractions. I am thinking of both Ranthambhore and Kochi where the hotel design seemed to capture the unique feeling of the location. Even the slightly faded splendour of the Fariyas in Mumbai provided as a bonus a spectacular view of the harbour, complete with dhows!
The drivers provided were beyond praise. Their skills were awesome and their even temperament, so essential for the type of driving they were doing, excellent. Their English skills were sufficient for the task and they were invariably considerate of our needs in relation to things like toilet stops.
The guides arranged were excellent. We appreciated the fact that the guide in Ajanta had a masters degree in history and that the guide in Mumbai was able to give us what was effectively an oral history, having lost a close relative in the attack.
We had three outstanding experiences during the trip, including that in Mumbai. The others were a 'close and personal' meeting with a tiger in Ranthambhore and the incomparable experience of the Taj Mahal which defies all explanation and expression.
Again, many thanks
Kay and Mark Curran
From: Beverley Johansson
To: Varsha
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:49:10 +0100
Hello again Varsha!
I promised to send you some feedback from our India trip.
As I have already said, we had a wonderful time, and the few things that did go wrong were taken very seriously by your organization, who did all in their powers to put things right. Everyone can make mistakes, but it is how they are handled which is important.
The things we would like to highlight as being particularly good are:
- Our guides in Varanasi and Ranthambhore, who were flexible, responsive and also very interesting people to talk to
- Varanasi, which was an amazing experience - totally different from anything else we have seen
- Meeting people: visiting the rural family in Ranthambhore, the school in Sarnath and the Rajput family in Jaipur
- Reggie's camel camp - I can thoroughly recommend it to your guests
- Our driver who took us long stretches both safely and with good humour
The things that didn't work or were less good are:
- The hotel mix-up at Khem Villas. There really was a big difference between the normal rooms and the cottages!
- Although all the guides were incredibly knowledgeable, a couple seemed intent on showing us all the temples/monuments on the standard agenda, even though we had requested an emphasis on meeting people
- The flight problems in Jodhpur, which resulted in Lars and William having an extremely long travel time to Mumbai
We will gladly recommend your organization to any friends planning to travel to India, and we hope to return again at some point in the future!
I will upload some pictures from the trip to FlickR and send you the link when I have done this.
Best regards
Beverley
Anupama,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are back home and would like to thank you for the great trip we had. Everything was perfect and service excellent.
All guides and drivers were very nice and we really had a wanderful experience.
I hope to come back soon.... and I will contact you again to organize a new wildlife + cultural tour.
Thanks again!
Kindest regards,
Silvia
From: Janelle Blackmoore
To: Anupama
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 1:57 AM
Hi Anupama,
Happy New Year to you!
Thank you very much to Compass Tours for making our Indian holiday a very enjoyable, organized and safe experience.
We are still talking about our wonderful trip and are recommending your services to everyone we talk to!
If we were to rate our Guides and Drivers, we would give a rating of 9 out of 10. Our Compass Guide in Delhi caused us some stress as we were trying to get the train to Amritsar, this was after us putting the pressure on him to get us moving from the restaurant we were at. To make matters worst, we were unable to park the van close to the train station and had to struggle with our luggage some distance to even get to the station. We were very relieved when we arrived at the train only moments before departure! Late starting the tour, we waited both days. Our guide in Goa took us on a 2 hour diversion to drop him off home – this was after we had briefed him earlier that day that we wished to return to our hotel early. On a positive note, our guide in Jaipur (Nidhi) was amazing, we really warmed to her and would recommend her to everyone!
The remainder of the Guides were good and showed us a great time, we felt safe the entire journey.
We really appreciated being met at every stage of our journey, whether it be train, plane or arrival and departure from a each location. And compass certainty made our experience a wonderful.
Would recommend the hotel in Navsari, this was a lovely place to stay. Thought that you would like to know this as there are not many places to choose from.
Thank you Anupama for your organization. We hope to visit again shortly.
I have attached a photo of all of us taken in Delhi at the stone tower.
Kind Regards
Janelle, Chris, Margaret, Graeme, Jackie & Dhiman
From: Chaw, Melissa
To: Anupama
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 11:56 AM
Hi Anupama,
Happy New Year! I was meaning to send some feedback to you.
Thank you so much for helping us organise our trip – we loved India and the organisation you did for us made it easy for us to just enjoy, and not worry about accommodation, taxis, where to go, what to see, etc. We really appreciated the flexibility you allowed us with the hotel choices and also what services we wanted. We found it easy enough to use our own guide book so did not require your guides, but found Compass very professional with your greet and departure personnel in each city. The driver we had particularly for the 1st half of our trip was great. His name was Jagroop and he was professional, mature and we could tell very experienced in ensuring we had a great trip. He was flexible and allowed us to go at our own pace. The car we had was also very comfortable. The hotels Compass recommended were great. We particularly liked the one in Agra and Jodhpur. A good mix and exactly what we were after. The quality of the Udaipur hotel room was not as high although the great location and tasty food in their restaurant made up for it. And personally to you Anupama, thank you for your patience with us in the lead up to the trip with all the changes. You were very professional. We will recommend Compass to our friends who travel to India in the future, as we felt throughout our whole trip organised by Compass that Service was definitely your number 1 priority.
Cheers,
Mel
From: Vicki Taylor
To: Anupama
Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2010 5:59 PM
Dear Anupama
I meant to contact you on our return from India and just never got round to it.
I have to tell you that the trip was the most fantastic experience and your firm was truly amazing. From being met upon arrival at Delhi, all of your staff were wonderful and they did everything to ensure our comfort and enjoyment.
The accommodation was fab everywhere and the whole experience was unfogettable.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for arranging it for us and hopefully arranging another trip for us in the not to distant future.
Regards
Vicki Taylor
From: Soraiya Moola
To: Shweta
Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 1:17 PM
Subject: RE: OUR INDIA TOUR-Moola/Parak Family
Hi.
Its good to be back home, however we had a superb holiday...THANK YOU.
The service was excellent, our experiences amazing, beyond words.
We appreciate the support that was given to us and will recommend your organisation to other interested travelers.
The Hotels met ALL our expectations----they were all excellent.
The drivers were extremely polite, showed tremendous patience and doubled as superb guides. Stanley in Mumbai was ever so helpful and willing to go the extra mile to ensure that we were comfortable.
Mr. Daya Ram in Delhi did his best to ensure that we were comfortable thro' out our trips in Delhi as well as in Agra. He gave us a guided tour of all he cities, took us to the various sites we requested and showed great concern for our safety.
He did not hesitate to assist us with our luggage onto the platform on our trip to Surat, as there were no porters around.
The driver in Surat was quiet, but extremely trustworthy and very accommodating to our needs.
With reference to the guides, we were truly blessed to have someone like Yumani, in Mumbai. Her approach, her gentle manner, her demeanour was totally impressive and she was knowledgeable, and interesting to listen to. Her command of the English language was impressive.
Mr Rai in Mumbai was such a darling, he stressed himself over our comfort. Our flight to Delhi had been cancelled, and with a fair bit of running around and tons of stress he eventually got us onto a flight.
Our experience in Delhi will be remembered with a chuckle. My husband had gone to the Jamma Masjid to offer his prayers. He chose to leave his shoes beside him. Upon finishing his prayer, he looked beside him and was aghast that his shoes were stolen.
We then bought him a pair of sandals as he has a high instep and is unable to wear just any shoe!
Recommendations;
We were not fully informed of the benefits due to us like having the services of a driver and car in Mumbai and Delhi. In Delhi we had requested a change of hotels because we were unaware that we had a driver and car at our disposal.
My suggestion is that all clients should be well-informed.
Our train trip to Surat was disappointing as we were expecting a first class AC berth and not a 2nd class. For foreigners maybe the 1st class is a wiser option especially if travelling for 15hours.
In panic we then requested a change of the train to Mumbai. We were however pleasantly surprised...the CC-AC compartment was extremely comfortable. And were glad of the experience.
Our Bangalore leg of the trip was very interesting, however were disappointed that the guide insisted that we leave Mysore at 9'00am,when our flights were only at 6pm and 9pm. Basically we spent our day sitting, which was a waste of precious time for us. We spent the best part of the day sitting at the air-port. The Bangalore agent did not meet us on the return journey, and called us a few hours later at the airport requesting us to fill out a feedback form. This was the only time that we experienced inefficiency. The standard here needs to be improved.
Overall we had a lovely, interesting and memorable trip and on behalf of my family I say a big THANK YOU for the efficiency, the warm welcome and the amazing organization.
To you and the rest of the Compass Team...your services are excellent May u always maintain such a high standard.
Your company will certainly be RECOMMENDED to others.
Wishing you and the Compass team a Happy New Year and the very best for 2010.
Best Wishes
Soraiya Moola
South Africa.
From: Harshini Fernando
To: Anchal
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 5:51 AM
Dear Anchal,
We would like to thank you and the Compass team for organising the 9 day "Colourful Rajasthan with Taj Mahal" tour for us.
It was memorable, excellent and incredible. We enjoyed every moment of it. I have come back wanting to learn more about your history and culture.
I am a frequent traveller and this was the first time I had selected a tour company from a website and not by recommendation. I was not sure what to expect and was quite anxious when I arrived in Delhi with Sujatha and my mother. Well, my fears were put to rest from the time we met Rahul at the airport and I am sure his strength was put to test when he had to help carry our heavy luggage up to my friend's 3rd floor apartment in Delhi, not once but several times.
It was great to have the company representatives in each city meet us at the hotels. It made the check in/out activities simpler and easier. They were always punctual, friendly and extremely helpful.
All our tour guides including Rabi, Rashid, Rajiv and Pintu were very friendly, courteous, helpful, knowledgeable and professional.
The phone calls from the Delhi office during the tour were very much appreciated.
Rajayshyam, our driver was an excellent driver and did not take any risks throughout the trip. We felt very safe with him at the wheel.
He was very accommodating and helpful. The car was always clean and no request was ever too much trouble for him. He was always happy to point out places of interest on the way. The cultural show he took us to in Udaipur was a fitting "grand finale" to our tour.
The only hotel we found not up to our expectations was "Ranbanka Palace" in Jodhpur. It was of course a really beautiful place. However, not having the facilities to make a cup of tea or coffee was a disappointment. Also we were not impressed with the leaking taps in the bathroom.
A big "thank you" to Ajay & Bhuvenesh in Jodhpur/Udaipur for their assistance when my mother and I were hit with a stomach bug.
The highlights of our tour were the bicycle rickshaw ride through the streets of old Delhi and the elephant ride at the Amber Fort Palace.
My mother, Sujatha and I will not hesitate to recommend your company to any one who wishes to tour India.
Best regards,
Harshini Fernando
From: Lita Singh
To: Sukriti
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 7:41 AM
Subject: RE: Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Dear Sukriti,
Happy Holidays to you and your family also. It is a busy time of the year and since we got back so close to Christmas, it left us very little time to prepare.
We would like to thank you and everyone at Compass for making our trip so enjoyable and safe.
We had a wonderful time and we were very pleased with all the representatives we met along the way.
We would certainly recommend your company of anyone we know that would like to come to India.
Thank you again and a very happy Holiday to everyone at Compass.
Mr. & Mrs. Singh
From: Jain, Sunil
To: sukriti
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 8:41 AM
Subject: RE Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Dear Sukriti - Thanks you for your greetings. At the same time, a big thankyou for the wonderful arrangements made by you & Compass, it exceeded my expectations and everything went super smooth.
Rgds
Sunil
From: George Kachappilly
To: Sukriti
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 9:53 AM
Subject: Re Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Hi Sukritiji,
Thank you for the e-mail and also for sending the X mas greetings. The tour you arranged was fantastic. The drivers and the tour guides were very good and courteous. We enjoyed very well. The Hotel at Udaipur (Jagat niwas palace) is not that great. Thanks for quickly re-imbursing the Elephanta Cave excursion expenses. I will mail you the receipts. Thanks again for arraging everything for us. By the way we hope and pray that you are getting better.
Sincerely,
George
From: Fatma Mitha
To: Sukriti
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 5:43 AM
Subject: Greetings from us
Dear Sukriti
We are back from our trip to India and wanted to thank you for the arrangements.
The car was good and had no trouble at all. The driver Vishwanath was excellent. He had good knowledge of the areas which we were visiting - about the people, their customs, food, different products etc. This made our trip an enjoyable one and a good learning experience for us all. And he was always on time.
There are one or two points which were a bit disappointing though. We liked the "houseboat" stay very much and we should have had 2 days there rather than at Thekkkady. Especially as our flight was early in the morning and we didn't get to visit the villages which we were looking forward to as the driver of the houseboat had to get us to Allepey very quickly.
Also it was very sad to hear about the boat tragedy in Thekkady and we understand why our trip was cancelled. But this had happened quite some time back before our arrival and we would have appreciated if you had let us know beforehand and that way we could have gone to the houseboat one day before.
The hotels and their service was good in general though the one at OOTY AND MYSORE needed some internal maintenance. They looked good from outside.
I just thought of writing these points to you so your company is aware of such issues which may help in future planning. I would be giving your company name to others who would like to visit South India.
Thanks again and "A Happy Year 2010" to you all.
With warm regards
Fatma
From: John Caridas
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 6:11 AM
To: Sanjay Puri
Subject: Thank you for a wonderful vacation
Dear Mr Puri,
We had a wonderful vacation in India, which has exceeded our most optimistic expectations. We were very pleased with the services provided by Compass, particularly taking into account the last minute changes to our schedule that you had to accommodate.
You driver, Mahipal Yadav, was fantastic. He was able to timely cover a very challenging itinerary (which most tour operators had told us would be impossible), thereby enabling us to see everything that we had planned, and then some. He is a highly skilled driver and also very resourceful. He was very professional and courteous and we enjoyed his company very much.
Your driver in Delhi was also very good.
Many thanks to Ms. Surbhi Verma and to Ms. Susan Hunter who assisted and advised us at various stages of our planning.
We are looking forward to our next vacation in India, which we will start planning in a few months. You will hear from us, probably next spring.
If there is a particular website where you would like us to post positive comments about your company, we will be more than happy to do so.
Thanks again,
Arleta and John Caridas
From: Betachan Rogers
Subject: Feed back on South India Tour
To: Varsha
Hello Varsha
We hope you are fine and doing well. Greetings from this end of the earth.
Leela and I wish to thank you for a well-organized and synchronized trip in India.
We still smell the scent of the jasmine malas we were greeted with as we landed at Chennai and the warm welcome offered to us by your reps. Leela thanks Compass for the beautiful silk scarf and I thank you all for the wonderful birthday cake presented to me on my birthday. Besides, we liked the idea of one of your reps keeping in touch with us from time to time as we were on tour to make sure that all was well. We really did appreciate that and at no time did we feel alone and uncared for. Of course the several guides were excellent and we were happy to have the same chauffeur with us during the entire trip. He was very good and helpful and picked up any slack left by the tour guides. Needless to say we built a great and close relationship during the period and could not help but shed a tear or two as we parted in Cochin at the end of his duties. All in all a wonderful experience we will never forget.
The hotels were great except the one at Pondicherry. And Pondicherry itself was a big let down for us including the tour guide there.
Our best hotel experience was at the Leela K, the Tajs and the Radissons. We were satisfied with the entire trip including our 9-hour layover at Mumbai. Your rep there was very accomodating by taking us to the Orchid hotel where we had dinner and a chance to freshen up before heading for the International airport. He was most helpful in checking in and at immigration. Thanks again.
The temples, the heritage site of the 5 Rathas in Mahabalipuram, the food, the backwaters of Kerala and the shopping are still swimming in our heads as we adjust to normalcy in our lives on terra firma. Did I say that we are already thinking of coming back? Kerala was especially touching for us for we think from the sparse evidence we have, our ancestors five generations ago came from that region.
Please pass on our regards and thanks to your colleagues for a very beautifully organized trip.
Namaste!
Beta and Leela Chan
P.S. Leela saw your photo on the Compass website and says that you are very pretty. She already knows that you are very bright and intelligent!
Beta Chan
From: Rob & Erica
To: Anchal
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 5:46 PM
Hi Anchal, we are happy to provide feedback as follows:
Overall rating - excellent - we had a fantastic trip to India and Nepal.
Compass organisation - Outstanding!! - Everything happened exactly when and how it was promised.
Note: The "preferences we filled in beforehand were taken as requirements. This was not our intention - the form asked us to tick boxes - male or female guides, soft or firm mattresses, etc. By ticking a box I meant to indicate a (mild) preference, not a requirement which might then compromise other choices. This led to unfortunate incidents with wooden boards in beds (preference for firm mattress) in Delhi and Mumbai. Both of these were sorted out very quickly by hotel staff, so it was not a problem.
Hotels: All excellent except Delhi which was good, but not up to standards of others.
However we did get food poisoning in Radisson Kathmandu (our only consumption was in hotel, so it could not have come from anywhere else)
Meet and Greet service at airports: All excellent - only Goa slightly less (still very good).
Drivers: All excellent.
Guides: All excellent. Nidhi in Jaipur deserves special praise.
Excellent restaurant tip in Mumbai: Khyber.
Outstanding service in Kingfisher airlines business class.
Regards,
Rob & Erica Woodcraft
From: ISABELLE MOLLIEN
To: Anupama
Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:18 PM
Dear Anupama,
First, our apologies for not getting back to you earlier. When going away for so long (I was away for one month and Steve was away two weeks), there are a lot of things to catch up on! And we have to do it while still processing all these wonderful memories we have from India!
What a memorable trip! It was truly excellent. And we want you to know: Compass India was a big catalyst for making this trip an outstanding vacation! We will definitely recommend Compass India (and already have) to our friends and relatives who may come to India in the future. We will be glad to be a reference for you!
We have just put some feedback below along with a couple of suggestions.
Drivers
The drivers were all good and our favorite was Babula !! He was such a great driver, very calm and did not use the horn constantly. We really enjoyed him.
Guides
The guides were all good and our favorite was Ravi Durga in Delhi and Shiek Sadiq in Kajuharo. All were very knowledgeable!
Compass India Representatives
-- You, Anupama, are great! You were very easy to work with, always responding to our emails very quickly and made it so easy to plan this trip! Thank you!
-- All Representatives who met us along the way were very courteous, very nice and professional. They were always willing to help and we enjoyed meeting them. Our favorite was Powan in Delhi and the young man in Agra (forgot his name).
Hotels
The hotels were all good (except Gwalior, which had cockroaches in the room).
Most hotels had rooms for us close to the elevators, as we had asked.
The food at the Park hotel (buffet for dinner) was too expensive.
In Agra, we had a room that had a view of the Taj Mahal! That was very special!
Suggestions
After coming back, I thought of a couple of things that I would like to do when I go back to India:
1. Music
Music is something that is very primitive and connects us all on a very deep level. There was not much music on this trip. We had one opportunity in Agra and were so glad we did it: The Compass representative there suggested to go to the live show and we really enjoyed it! Maybe more suggestions on music?
2. Meeting families at their homes
Has Compass thought of offering the tourists to visit a family in India? As tourists, we can see all the old ruins and castles and forts...we can see all the tourists places, but meeting people and seeing where they live is very special. This could be something that people may enjoy.
Anupama, I took about 1400 pictures! So many beautiful places! I will email you a link to look at the 400 pictures I chose to be the best. I hope you will enjoy the show!
Thank you again for all you have done to organize this memorable vacation!
Namasté
Isabelle Mollien & Steve Bradley
From: Susan Goodwin
To: Anupama
Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2009 4:17 AM
Dear Anupama,
Well we are back in the UK after our Indian holiday which i must say was organised with such presision by yourselves, many thanks for such a well organised trip with excellent guides, compass representatives and our fantastic & quite brilliant driver Bhupinda, he was so cool and amazing around all the frantic traffic in the cities. Our only dissappointment was not seeing any tigers at Ranthanbhore but then we really didn't expect to. The Estate Hotel in Delhi was great a quiet oasis away from the hussle & bustle of Delhi city, on the whole the hotels we great, the Howard Hotel Plaza in Agra needs a refurbishment, i'ts a little tired and the reseraunt could have been cleaner but apart from that everything was fine, we would not hesitate to recommend your company to our friends should they wish to visit India. The most wonderful thing was of course the Taj Mahal which we saw at sunrise, photoes can never do it justice, i have wanted to see it since i was a little girl but i was completely blown away with it;s beauty, any way many thanks for our wonderful trip and the gifts you gave us as we were leaving,
Best wishes to you and all your staff, please tell Bhupinda how much we enjoyed his driving & company
Susan & David Goodwin
From: Carroz Bertrand
To: Anupama
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:04 PM
Dear Anupama,
Once again thank you very much for having organized such e beautiful tour for us. We really enjoyed the BnB in New Delhi; the staff was very kind and the indian food excellent.
In Ladakh it was a great idea to suggest us to book the camp in Saboo, which was very quiet and allowed us to rest very well from the noisy Leh. The staff was very friendly and the food very good.
The Organic Retreat in Nubra valley was our best experience as well as the camp in Uley Topko; the camp in Tsomoriri was very basic but as far as I know there is no other choice.
Our guide and driver in Ladakh were very professionnal and friendly, we had very good contact with them.
I will warmly recommand your agency for organizing tours in India, as i am airport employee i have a lot of colleagues travelling all over the world and we often give each others advices.
Once more thank you very much for everything, we really have good memories of the tour.
Bertrand Carroz
From: Marco Peter
To: Anupama
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 12:03 AM
Dear Anupama
I'm really sorry that I couldn't write earlier. Aglaya and I married in September so we were very busy organising the party and honeymoon. We are back now and I would like to give you some feedback on our Rajasthan trip.
First of all I would like to thank you and your company for the wonderful trip to India. Overall we are very happy having chosen you as a travel agency. We liked the planning of the trip with you by e-mail very much. You Anupama are very professional and quick in answering on our requests.
Thank you for having all the patience with us as we had quite a lot of questions in the beginning. The good start continued after we arrived in Delhi and during the whole trip:
Itinerary:
Very good, it was astonishing how much we could see in only 16 days. Next time however we would skip Bikaner and Mandawa, that wasn't so interesting
Hotels:
Most of the time very good. The best was the Trident in Jaipur, absolutely fantastic. On the other end we didn't really like the heritage hotels, next time we would stay with the modern hotels. Especially Deogarh we cannot recommend, it was a bit scary to stay there. After that experience you changed the hotel in Mandawa at short notice which was excellent service.
Guides:
Very good. The best guide we had in Agra, he was just wonderful. The same is true for your representative in Jaipur (a tall, young Rajput who can even speak Russian).
Driver:
Rajesh was excellent and I cannot highlight enough how important a good driver is. The traffic was heavy and sometimes very dangerous. With Rajesh we felt very save and comfortable. He was always on time, nice company and a good "guide" on the road. The car, a Toyota Innova was very good. So once again thank you very much for your service, we recommend Compass tours to all our friends who are interested in India unconditionally.
Please give also my thanks to Ashish. If you have any more questions I would be happy to answer them.
Kind regards from Switzerland
Marco
From: Geha, Raif
To: Sukriti
Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2009 1:49 AM
Dear Sukriti
I want to thank you for the wonderful service we got from Compass. Your crew was on time reliable and kind at all times.
The guides were terrific. Sanjay in Aurangabad and Atul in Aurangabad topped the list In addition the monitoring by Vikram of our movements and needs was highly appreciated.
We will be happy to recommend you to potential customers and to be used as references.
Best
Raif Geha
From: Susan liu
To: Anupama
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 7:36 AM
Hi Anupama,
Thank you for arranging this tour for us. I was very impressed with the services we got from the representatives, the driver, the guides, the hotels and YOU.
The hotel in Delhi, because of the old carpet, the smell was too strong. It was switched to a different room after we requested on the 3rd night (The first two nights, we thought that was what we could get with the money we paid).
I have told many of my friends about your services. May be, some of them will get your service in the near future. I wish that India is not far away so I can get more people to use your services.
I have forward your email to Poay-cheng. May be she will give you feed back, too.
Susan Hsiu-fang
From: Paco Ballester Hernandez
To: Anupama
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 1:59 PM
Hello there from Spain, been delighted of writing again with you!
The comment of my trip with you is positive, especially for the drivers' service (Maney and Pradep) and also for the assistance got for the representatives. The quality of the service of the hotels also has been good, with the exception of the hotel of Badami that was below the quality exigible. Also I am satisfied with the guides, especially with the Aurangabad guide that estubo very well. I do not like at all the Goa guide, they recomiento that they do not hire it. As for the design of the itinerary of the trip it was perfect, perhaps I exceed us one night in Badami that we could have done it of more in Goa.
As for the negative part of the trip I have to say to them that he should not remain satisfied with two trips in train in which I touch myself the arriva bed, my wife suffers dizziness and I happen two nights being sick, think that as the reservation was done by a lot of time they could have reserved the lower bed. Also the final price of the trip seemed very expensive to me, as soon as there were seen the prices of hotels, trains, gasoline, guides, etc I believe that the price of the trip had to be much minor.
Summing up, in general I have remained satisfied with you for the received assistance. For the next year do I have intention of traveling round Cambodia and Vientnam, his agency can organize my trip or has relation with other companies that could do it or only they devote themselves to organize trips for India?.
Thank you very much for writing and see you soon!
From: Alfredo Cardoso
To: Ancha
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 11:56 AM
Dear Anchal Suman,
Sending short feedback on the tour. It's in Portuguese, because I have some difficulties in translation (sorry).
The program of the trip was always a great follow-up, including service support (excellent) in all airports. Cars and drivers with a good performance, excellent even in the initial route (Delhi / Agra). The performance of the guides in general, was very close to good, removing the Goa guide that looked like a esperitual (VERY BAD, I should be refunded the amount paid). The hotels, removing the Dehli (not recommended), were good especially the "Crown Plaza" in Kathemandu. The Resot "Hyatt" in Goa excellent, beautiful, cheerful staff and always well prepared and a excellent catering service (wine a little expensive).
As recommendations, I would say:
- Office of the guides should be more careful;
- Some of the sites indicated by buying guides convenient little;
- After completing the visits, was an interesting involvement (estimates) with routine of the cities, thus better understand the culture and realities of each city;
- Include a small tours in the evening visit to the centers, or places major cities was positive.
In summary, we conclude that the service as a whole was very good. The my thanks.
All the best for you, and maybe even a day.
If they need some help from Portugal, have.
Best regards,
Alfredo Cardoso
From: Rupak
To: Sukriti
Dear Sukriti,
Sorry for the late response..was caught up with work. I have written a testimony based on our vacation:
From day 1 as we arrived in New Delhi to Day 17 when we took off, the representatives of Compass India Inc assured that we faced no inconvenience anywhere. The hotel check in’s, sight seeing, shopping, everything was well planned and executed. The cars used for travelling were clean, spacious and comfortable and the drivers were well informed and alert on the roads.
The guides at every site gave an in depth insight into the history of things. Some guides were national guides and hence a wealth of knowledge. We were constantly kept informed and were contacted regularly by the Operations staff to ensure our safety and comfort.
Lastly, the office staff members in New Delhi are pure professionals and did everything to make our vacation one of the best. They replied to each and every query we had since 2 months before our travel and made sure all our concerns were addressed promptly.
We would definitely use the services of Compass India Inc whenever we visit India and would recommend Compass India to anyone who wishes to travel to India.
hope this helps. I will send you pictures a little later in low res. Should you decide to use any and need a high resolution photo, I will send it over as well.
Thank you and have a good day.
Regards,
Rupak
From: Suresh Gohel
To: Compassindia
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 5:49 AM
Dear Mr. Durjay Gupta,
I started communication with Compass India Inc. in April 2009. All of the e-mails were handled by Mrs. Anupama Singh (Executive Travel Management Services). My family members had almost no confidence in internet booking of our tour. We did not know anybody in Delhi, and if no one showed up at the airport, then what would we do? Is this company like SOTC, which we were familiar with?
I used to e-mail Mrs. Singh. She replied to all of my e-mails promptly and accurately. I must mention that Mrs. Singh did excellent handling of the tour planning, booking, and arranging our extra luggage for storage while we were on the tour. We wish her the best of luck in her career ahead.
At Delhi, Indira Gandhi Airport, Mr. Vinit and the driver, Rajesh Yadav arrived on time and my family and I received a warm welcome from the Compass Team. The Compass Team Managers remained present at check-in and check-out, introducing our tour guides, and always asked if we had any inconvenience. The tour managers were Mr. Ashish, Mr. Vinit, Mr. Anil, and Mr. Pratap Singh. All were courteous, punctual, and had a expressive attitude to do their best.
The Compass Inc. selected the best guides for us. The guides were very knowledgeable and presented the material in such a way that was entertaining for myself, my wife, and my two kids. Mr. Ravi (Delhi guide), Mr. Atul Parmar (Agra guide), and Mr. Rajiv Rathod (Jaipur guide) gave an interesting detailed presentation of the many historical places.
I'm glad to mention that my family celebrated my birthday while on tour in India. After dinner when we asked for the check, the waiter informed us that Compass Inc. generously paid for the dinner. That was a pleasant surprise! It really shows that this company goes above and beyond for their clients.
At the end of the tour, we felt that our decision to go with Compass Inc. was the best decision and it exceeded our expectations. We will always recommend Compass Inc. to our friends and family who wish to visit India. I am sending a separate email to a friend of mine that is visiting India this December, and I am suggesting your company for their tour.
Our feedback would be incomplete if we did not mention any suggestions for your company. It would be better if we received a detailed tour information kit via mail prior to arriving in India. By doing this, it would avoid apprehension of any Internet scam.
With warm regards,
Suresh Gohel & family
From: Dario Villalobos
To: Anupama
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 8:15 AM
Hi. I hope you are all doing fine!!
My family and I are glad we took the tour we your company, it was a nice experience. The services offered by the company were excelent, some of the problems we had were with most of the guides, with 2 hotels (Mumbai and the other that I don't recall), and with the driver form Mumbai; but It was a nice experience and if we go back to India, we would choose Compass India again.
Thank You for everything!! Hope to see you again.
From: Naresh Giri
To: Anupama
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 12:27 PM
Anupama,
Please convey our sincere Thanks to everyone in Team, who had helped us and made our Travel Memorable.
You folks are awesome Team excellent Planning / Follow-up and proffesional,
Hats off for Durjay Sengupta / Bhawani Singh / Anupama Leading the Team.
I would like to convey my thanks and Best Wishes for everyone ( there is no particular Order ),
1) Mr. Amilal Yadav
2) Mr. Sourabh Sharma
3) Mr. Vineet
4) Mr. Vikram
5) Mr. Pamma - Jammu
6) Mr. Kuldeep - Agra / Jaipur
7 ) Mr. Yadav - Delhi
Guides
1) Mr. Arjun - Delhi
2) Mr. Sukhbir Solanki - Agra
3) Mr. Sharma - Jaipur
I have no doubt in looking forward to travel with your team in the future and recommend anyone over here to recommend without any doubt.
Please convey to everyone mentioned above.
Last not least , Anupama , I do thanks especially for arranging the communication media (cell phone) in INDIA.
PS: I do apologize , if i miss any names in above.
Thanks
Naresh Kumar Giri
From: Calitz, Esta
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 8:32 PM
To: Surbhi
Dear Surbhi
I just want to thank you for all the trouble with our trip in India. We had the best time and I am sure much of it would not have been as nice if it was not for your effort and suggestions.
George, our guide in Kochi, was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humour. Robert was the best driver ever and it was great to have him with us for such a long time. He went out of his way to inform us and accommodate our wishes. He is a great guy. We had a great ayurvedic massage in Kochi - will tell anyone going there to do the same.
We loved the houseboat and the staff made my birthday extra special.
Thanks for the part you played there too.
The Devaaya Resort in Goa was also great. It was quiet, but as expected seeing we did not go in season.
I would not recommend the Sterling Resort to anyone. It was great being in the teaplantations and enjoyed travelling there, but everything from the check-in to the rooms without water and not warm enough blankets were not nice. The waiter's clothes were as dirty as the table cloths and the service was not good. We still had fun and laughed about all of this, but circumstances like these could spoil a holiday!
Once again, thank you for making our holiday one of the best ever.
Regards
Esta
From: Ross Overby
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 5:40 AM
To: Varsha
Subject: Thank you for a wonderful vacation
Varsha: I wish to thank Compass India for what was a flawless tour of India. There was not a single problem encountered. We were met at each location not only by our local guide, but by a local Compass India representative as well. The level of attention by Compass Staff might be expected if we were a large tour group, but we were only a family of four. Our driver was very attentive and looked after our every need. He knew every aspect of our itinerary and carried us safely on our journey. When we arrived back in New Delhi early his every thought was on showing us more of the city before our scheduled departure.
With Compass India we learned that one can rely on good tour planning, extraordinary on-the-ground attentiveness, and quality.
Confidentially: our assessment of our local tour guides is as follows:
New Delhi: Overall good
Udaipur: Overall good
Jaipur: A master. Extraordinary knowledge and enthusiasm
Ranthambore: The safari drivers seemed to talk among themselves and did not focus on us.
Agra: Seemed in a rush do the Taj Mahal, get pictures, and then send us on our way. We ended up in Delhi about 4 hours early when we could have stayed at the Amar Villa a while and left a bit later.
From: Tarak Kachouri
To: Sukriti
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 4:44 PM
It's a pleasure for me to come back with this Feedback form.
It will be a very detailed feedback
Delhi
Arrival on Delhi Airport: Good Welcoming and very kind person at the airport
Hotel on delhi: Poor conditions, and not very well situated
Guide: Very short presentations, not very communicative and left us before the hotel in the middle of the road.
Agra
Hotel: Good conditions
Guide: Very cultivated and very helpful
Sightseeing: Very impressive and very good program
Jaipur
Hotel: Very Good conditions
Guide: Correct, needs to improve communication with guests
Sightseeing: Impressive and very good program
Jodhpur
Hotel: Very Good conditions
Guide: Good
Sightseeing: Good program
Udaipur
Hotel: Just good conditions
Guide: Good and communicative
Sightseeing: Good program, but preer to know from the beginning that there was no water in the rivers
Flight to Mumbai:Good Assistance on the airport
Overall conditions of transfer between the cities: Good conditions, very very kind driver but not a verygood english, a small problem of car on the road in the mountains.
Mumbai:
Assistance on the airport Good
Hotel: Good
Guide: The best we saw in our Indian Trip , very cultivated, devoted, simple, near to the customers and try to make the journey suitable to our forecast, enjoy knowing her
Sightseeing: Good but sometimes no place to park in to admire the full sightseeing, but we get some bonuses to compensate this
Assistance on the airport: Very Good
I enjoyed the whole trip an it was magic. If it was to repeat, I would not hesitate.
From: Fatima
To: Anupama
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 10:09 AM
Dear Anupama
I loved India and I think our choice of Compass India was the best we could do. I appreciated your organization of schedules and tours, transport, the solicitude of guides and drivers. I could only suggest perhaps that travelers could give the total amount of tips at the beginning or at the end of the tour and not almost day by day, sometimes is not the most comfortable alternative. I also think that you didn’t need to hide that we would change in Agra for a worse hotel than the indicated: saying the true, and not that we would have a better hotel, would be understood by us.
Anyway, I liked the tour very much and certainly I´ll recommend you to any friend of mine to go to India!
Thank you and a lot of success to Compass India!
Fátima Morais
From: Armandina
To: Anupama
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 7:04 AM
Dear Sirs,
Our experience was funtastic! All the trip was an excellent discover. The services, hotels, transport, guides were the best possible. In a scale of 100 points we will give you 96!!
Best regards
Maria Silva (Portugal)
From: Mcm Debreet
To: Sukriti
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 15:31:46 +0200
Dear Ms Kapoor,
We are back in our home country, and indeed filled with sweet memories of Incredible India !
The last 10 days we spent at the house of our daughter, son in law and grandchildren, and we had a wonderful time.
Quite some time we spend by visiting things in the city and the surroundings.
As promised, I will write you a more detailed “report” with some suggestions we have for you. These not as critic, but merely to make it possible for your company to even perform better/more focused on our culture and way of thinking, which will, I hope, make it possible for people from our countries to better understand each other.
But the most important is that we had a great/wonderful/unforgettable trip in India.
And it was very well organized by Compass, and we will most certainly recommend your company to anyone asking for it!
The drivers: Rajesh and Josef: how can we ever forget them ???? Besides being great, safe drivers, they also told us, during the long trips, all kind of things about what we saw, their personal lives and India.
All guides did a good job, telling stories and listening to our questions.
The warm welcomes at the airports, the detailed information, in short : an excellent tour operator you are !!
And it all started with you! Thanks to the way you personally gave us all the needed information made us make a choice for Compass.
In due time I will also send an e-mail to your director.
For now, thank you very much indeed for making this a never to forget experience!!
With warmest regards,
Marcel de Breet
To: Compass India Inc
Subject: Thank You
Dear Durjay,
I trust you are well. I have been meaning to write to you for a while to congratulate you on the excellent organisation you have created!
My wife Beatriz and I had a very pleasant experience during our short tour with Compass. As an entrepreneur myself, I can appreciate the effort put into all the processes that ensure that your clients are satisfied. Once again well done for creating such a fine organisation.
Please convey my regards also to all the fine people within Compass who made our trip truly memorable.
Best regards,
Anjan
To: Shweta Seth
Cc: Rebecca Sloan
Subject: RE: Greetings from Compass India!!!
Shweta,
I’ve been meaning to write to thank you for all to did to make our trip possible, but have gotten distracted with away from it each time I sat down to type out a note. We are happy to supply a comment for Compass as we truly could not have managed the trip without you.
“Although we have traveled as a family internationally several times, planning our trip to India quickly became an intimidating exercise. Once we found Compass India, however, the stress and uncertainty associated travel in India quickly dissipated. They allowed us to customize our itinerary and select options from their informed selections of stops, sightseeing and hotels. It was very comforting knowing that we would find things as represented once our trip got underway. Two things were especially rewarding in our dealings with Compass. One, the car, driver and tour guides were all beyond expectations. While planning, we felt like this was really extravagant, but once we got there it proved to be a necessity. We learned so much and were able to focus on all the beauty and fascination of India and not how to get to the next stop. Secondly, when faced with a 12+ hour train delay, which turned out to be a canceled train altogether, the Compass Team went to work and found a solution that resulted in virtually no delay and more importantly no missed stops on our itinerary. Had we been on our own, I’m sure we would have blown two of our 16 days in country, not to mention the likely divorce proceedings that would have followed from all the stress and venting! Joking aside, having Compass and their team looking out for us, allowed us to enjoy being together as a family in one of the most enriching environments possible, creating memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.”
“Compass was great! Just the right level of assistance and care…there when you need them, close at hand when you don’t. They made our trip to India more than we could have hoped for”
I hope those comments help. Not for your web site or marketing efforts, but I want to make special mention of the driver and tour guide we had for 12 of the 16 days. Meenu, our drive, was more than we could have ever hoped. He was focused, attentive, and skilled. We never doubted his ability to negotiate every possible object on the road way, animate or inanimate! He was also just a wonderful person with a great personality and sense of humor that we enjoyed throughout the trip. Surendra, our guide, was so far beyond belief, we must say thank you to whoever assigned him to us. He was so well informed, so helpful, so unobtrusive and such a wonderful person that we felt as though he was and is a member of family. We witnessed so many other guides that just didn’t seem to be of the same caliber and could not have imagined spending 12 days with them. With Surendra, and Meenu, the 12 days flew by and we never once grew tired of their company. Please pass these comments on to the person at Compass that coordinates the drivers and guides so they know how special each of them are.
Well, we only saw a small part of India, so hope to find time to return. We’ll certainly be in touch if/when we do.
Regards,Charlie Sloan & Family
...“Although we have traveled as a family internationally several times, planning our trip to India quickly became an intimidating exercise. Once we found Compass India, however, the stress and uncertainty associated travel in India quickly dissipated. They allowed us to customize our itinerary and select options from their informed selections of stops, sightseeing and hotels. It was very comforting knowing that we would find things as represented once our trip got underway. Two things were especially rewarding in our dealings with Compass. One, the car, driver and tour guides were all beyond expectations.
“Compass was great! Just the right level of assistance and care…there when you need them, close at hand when you don’t. They made our trip to India more than we could have hoped for”
From
Charlie Sloan & Family , United Kingdom
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 2:10 AM
To: Shweta Seth
Cc: Charlie Sloan
Subject: RE: Greetings from Compass India!!!
Shweta - I echo Charlie's comments. As you may recall, I had a certain amount of anxiety about traveling with our two daughters, particularly after the tragedy of Mumbai. Your reassuring words alleviated all my concerns and made us realize this was a trip that we had to take - and we are so happy we did. The beauty of India and its people will stay with us all for the rest of our lives. Thank you!! Becca Sloan
...The services rendered were excellent. Sanjay and Shweta were prompt and efficient, and they easily tailored my programme to suit my choices. They were also flexible enough to accomodate last-minute changes to my itinerary.
All the liason people at different locations in Rajasthan and Varanasi were professional.
From
Rajan Parrikar, USA
Well we have settled back home now after our wonderful journey through India with Compass. I would just like to thank you for the excellent organisation of the trip. Everything went very well and in most places exceeded our expectations.
Our driver in northern India, Vikram was absolutely wonderful. He looked after us incredibly well and we are very grateful to him. He was always prepared to do an extra bit for us. This was especially appreciated on Christmas day when he turned up with flowers for us all. He always drove safely and kept the car clean. We are very grateful to him for making that part of the trip so smooth. We would definitely recommend him to people.
From
Rogers,
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 Compasstour 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,
From
Elisabetta, Giuseppe, Cristina and Luca, Italy
...The monuments we saw were outstanding. Hopefully more tourists will be able to enjoy them soon. Gwalior Fort/Orchha/Shivpuri/ Sanchi/Bhimbetka and Ujjain were all well worth visiting. It would have been nice to have a guide in Shivpuri as the gentleman who showed us around had minimal English skills. The other guides seemed very knowledgeable and we enoyed each of them. Oh also Deeg was really nice, I'm so glad we were able to see it. There were a few concerns.
From
Barb, USA
...have to say, on behalf of my whole family, that the tour was amazing.
We all had such a blast and were just glowing with praise. We espeically loved our driver Mr Muni as well as Mr Om Prakash in Mumbai.
He had our sides aching with laughter. The whole Compass team was so wonderful and accomadating.
From
Ginni, Canada
...Want to take the opportunity to thank you for your help in planning a wonderful holiday in India.
There were many highlights. Compass looked after us very well in all stops. The accommodation you chose was excellent…especially City Palace Udaipur…amazing!
The activities were well chosen by you and well paced the car was SO clean and comfortable, and the driver outstanding...he deserves a special mention
From
Sharon, Australia
Your organization of our trip was impeccable. We saw everything we planned to see and had a lot of fun doing it despite somewhat going over our budget. This was my second visit to India, with the first one to the south part of the country in 1991. Our trip to Rajasthan this year was so superior in avoiding travelers' wear-and-tear that I wouldn't even consider further India excursions without prior contacting Compass India Inc. I have highly recommended your organization to all my friends and colleagues.
From
Mark Ros, USA
First: many compliments to Compass company for the perfect tour that we have done in Rajasthan. You have a very good organization. Every thing was like we wished: good hotel, exceptional driver (always attentive, kind and punctual), perfect assistance. I'll get again your organization when I'll come again in India, I hope soon.
From
Emilio Radice, Italy
I would like to thank you and the Compass team for the very enjoyable trip to India we had in Feb/07.
The car, the driver (very nice person), the hotels, the flights - everything went smoothly with the help of the agents.
From
Magda, Israel
I can sum up our experience in three words, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT & EXCELLENT. Durjay's services, assistance with hotel choices, drivers, etc. were perfect. We are thinking of another India holiday this fall and would use Compass holidays. If you need any further information please feel free to contact me.
From
Lawrence Cohen Cohen & Chasse , Canada
Thank you very much for organising our tour through Rajasthan. We liked the Heritage Hotels you have chosen for us.
Our driver Kuldeep and his help Balseet were excellent, very cautious and no minute we were afraid of his driving, even there was much traffic and two-way traffic.
We will not forget our guides we had in Fathepur Sikri, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. They all know the history of their monuments and we learnt many things.
We can warmly recommend all persons, who “took care of us” and who gave us also the feeling being a welcomed guest.
From
Franz Mairinger, Germany
...Started from Delhi’s airport until Bhairahawa’s airport in Nepal, the trip was really smooth and some parts were exciting too.
How lucky I am to get such very good driver like Govind from Varanasi all the way to Nepal.
I would give him an excellent score from the way he drove the car, the way he talked to everybody and the way he served us for almost 9 days passed thousands kilometers on both good and bad road.
If one day I have chance to visit India for Buddhist pilgrimage again, I will choose him as my driver for sure.
Also special thanks to Misra (Guide at BodhGaya) for his knowledge about Buddhist history and important places.
From
Senahadi, Indonesia
Jim and I had a wonderful time - and not for a moment were we unhappy with any of the decisions you had made for us.
We found our accommodations very good - some really excellent ,and worthy of mention for that is Jas Vilas in Agra - a lovely place to stay. Everywhere else was as we had hoped, and we enjoyed the heritage places too.
It was great to be greeted by a Compass representative wherever we went, and to know that we could call on them if necessary .
Our drivers were excellent. Mahesh, Lahar in Rajasthan, and Denisen in Kerala were all very courteous, punctual, and looked after us well.
And many thanks to you and your team too. We have had an experience to remember for the rest of our lives, and you and Compass Tours made it as easy for us as it could possibly be.
From
Susan and James Edge, New Zealand
>> Country-United-Kingdom 2007-04-17
Mark Poppenwimer,
Dear Shweta,
Each area we visited was so special and unique. Each Compass India representative met us upon our arrival at each destination. It was comforting to know someone was looking out for us. The Compass India representative in Ranthambhore was by far the best representative we met.
From
>> Country-United-Kingdom 2007-01-07
Graham and Debi Evans,
Dear Varsha,
The hotels and tours all worked out very well indeed....We particularly enjoyed our stay at the Meridien in Jaipur with its Gala Dinner for New Year's Eve, and enjoyed the peace and quiet and beautiful setting of Dev Villas
>> Country-Canada 2007-03-05
Paul Saint-Denis,
Hello Ms Seth,
I wanted to thank you and your company for having organized a splendid tour of your country. The service your company provided was first rate. I will not hesitate recommending your company to anyone who wishes to visit India.
Want to capture many such extraordinary moments in Indian Wildlife ! Photograph a Tiger in ambush - about to make a kill of some unsuspecting prey or Rhino hidden in tall grass not liking your presence while you are enjoying your Elephant Safari.