Our daughter- in - law planned our trip to India for both families ( Jain / Ulmer families). She asked if I would send you our thoughts on the trip booked through Compass.
On behalf of my husband and myself, I can confidently say the Compass portion of our trip was fabulous. The driver was courteous and very punctual. We were extremely pleased with his service. We did feel badly at the beginning of the trip, as he had driven from Jaipur to Delhi to pick us up (he had to leave Jaipur in the middle of the night) and then drive us back to Jaipur the same day. He was very tired and the drive back to Jaipur appeared to be very difficult for him as his fatigue was evident . We asked him to stop and rest so he could complete the trip more refreshed. I am sure he was just doing what the company had asked of him. He was such a nice fellow and so polite. We thoroughly enjoyed having him as part of our family for that week! My suggestion would be for the company to allow the driver's to have a good night's rest before picking up clients.
The guides were also very friendly and knowledgeable and we thoroughly enjoyed all of our tours with them. Everyone was so attentive to the needs of our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter.
The accommodations in Delhi and Jaipur were extraordinary. The Oberoi service was unlike any we have received anywhere. What an absolute treat to stay there. Thank you!!The hotel in Kota was adequate. We did have to change rooms 3 times to finally get one that did not smell and one that actually had a comfortable bed. The rooms were not very clean and the bathroom amenities were poor. On the positive side, the food in the restaurant was excellent although the service was painfully slow at times. All of the hotel staff were very friendly and the building itself was very grand.
The vehicle we travelled in was adequate but perhaps a little too old. We were picked up in the same type of vehicle for travel to and from the airports and they seemed to be newer and cleaner. It would have been nice to have a newer version as the seatbelts were not in proper working order. We did manage to finally get our granddaughter's car seat secured but it was with great difficulty.
I would definitely recommend your company to others if they are planning a trip to India. You were very thorough and we were looked after royally. The guides were always waiting for us whether it was to go touring or picking us up at the airports or train stations. We couldn't have asked for better service.
Thanks for a trip of a lifetime!!
Kindest regards,
Doug and Lillian Ulmer (Canada)
Namaste Sukriti,
Thank you for you prompt service. Both my mother and I have had a wonderful and memorable trip here in India with the Compass group. We very much appreciate the hospitality, courteous service, prompt response and flexibility in accommodating our needs. The attention to detail, trip time, comfort and itinerary were beyond our expectation and left us both with fond memories of India.
As I continue on with my journey here, many from your company have given me assistance in booking accommodation and driver. For that I thank Sauroub, whose hospitality during Holi festivities opened my eyes to the true beauty of India - the value of family. Please thank him on my behalf.
Although some accommodations were not as desirable as others, the service compensated for it. When I have time on my return, I will write you an itemized list of activities and accommodations both my mother and I enjoyed as well as disliked (for future reference, of course).
Most importantly, driving through the harried streets of India for 22 days were not without its concerns: safety and comfort. However, I give high praise to the driver Surinder who not only was courteous and timely, but he made us feel safe with his driving skills and always tended to our needs; was flexible yet managed to keep us on time! He is a kind and warm person who helped make the daily 5 hour journeys very comfortable. It was for this reason that I had personally requested to drive my friend and I to Agra and back to Delhi. His service certainly completes the Compass team and has made the car ride bearable.
Again, thank you for your prompt correspondence and willingness to assist me in all aspects of this trip. I will send a more formal document to you when I return in May in addition to pictures that you may share on your website.
Best,
Karen B. Remo
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
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
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
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! bc
Beta Chan
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 DURJAY
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.
Regards
Lawrence Cohen
Cohen & Chasse
TEL. 416-259-1155
Hello Shweta and Durjay,
We have now returned to Canada after our 40 day tour of India arranged by you.
I must stay that you and your staff did a wonderful job in arranging our tour.
We had the most wonderful time and everything was very well organized. The hotels were very suitable and met our expectations. The cars and the drivers were wonderful, cooperative and very helpful. At all the locations, train stations and airports we were greeted and met by your representatives who made our tasks very easy and comfortable, no hassles.
The guides were very knowledgeable and helpful as well. I would specially like to commend Gautum Popat in Ahmedabad.
Overall, a very memorable, wonderful, wonderful tour for us, an experience of a lifetime.
My wife joins me in thanking you, your colleagues and your company for making our tour so pleasurable and comfortable.
We wish you the very best in your future endeavors, keep up the superb service.
With best regards and many thanks,
Sadik Kassam
Hello Ms Seth,
It has been two weeks since I have returned from my trip to India. 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.
Sincerely
Paul Saint-Denis
Hey Varsha,
This is Ginni. I hope you remember me from the summer: I bothered you constantly about a tour of South India. Sorry I didn't email you afterwards. My email account tanked on me, and I lost all the emails I had been amassing in my inbox. I 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. We're already considering perhaps doing another tour next year in East India. As my family is compromised of avid cricket fans I had a question that would fall under you area of expertise. I was curious as to whether your company would organize trips or tours in the West Indies at this time. Or even if you could organize it for us, should we choose to go.
Thanks and hope to hear from you soon,
Ginni
Hi Varsha,
We arrived home safely. We were very happy with complete tour and thank you again for support in arranging our tour. I only want to draw your attention to a little point. We had little problem at the airport before departing. When we arrived in Mumbai we had no contact from your office there, the car driver was instructed to take us to air cargo place. We went around for three to four hours to find out the cargo office was closed on sunday. If the office had the information then we could have gone to cargo office on Saturday.
It was very praise worthy that your office from Delhi was always making sure that every thing was going well. I will be very grateful if I can get the phone number Mr.Ajay in Kovlam. When in Mumbai with the group mostly all of the people were dissatisfied with the guide.(just for your information) I have given your email adress to Mr. Hirji and Azim samji, as they are planning a trip in January or February.
Thanking you again
Badur and Rashida
Hi Varsha
It's taken us a few days to recover from our long journey home ( 48 hours) but now it is time to write and thank you for all the work you did to make our month in India run so smoothly. Jim and I had a wonderful time - and not for moments 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. The guides were all very intelligent young men (no women?) and increased our knowledge of each area, and it's history.
Our drivers were excellent. Mahesh, Lahar in Rajasthan, and Denisen in Kerala were all very courteous, punctual, and looked after us well. Best of all they were all safe drivers, and in all that chaotic traffic for all those miles of driving, I never saw one of them take an unnecessary risk and we felt safe with them. Please pass on our gratitude to each of them. 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. Thanks again Varsha, for your efforts on our behalf - it truly was a fascinating tour, and we will strongly recommend you to anyone coming your way.
Kind regards,
Susan and James Edge.
Susan Edge - Naive Art Ph 09 432 0394 Mob 021 104 8359 Web www.susanedge.co.nz
Dear Durjay
Thanks for the call last Tuesday. We appreciate it. It was nice of you to have inquired.
Varsha did an excellent job. Overall we were satisfied and the tour met our expectations. It was hassle free.
Hopefully, we will be able to make another deal next year on a trip similar to my sister Arzina (first 10-12 days). Arzina seems to be having a good time.
Best Regards
Eqbal Kassam
Hi Shweta,
Congratulations! We hope you have a very happy, healthy long life together. We were sorry to have missed you but your colleagues were very efficient, too.
Our trip turned out very well and we thank you for a marvelous job.
The trip was great and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend your company.
Take care,
Yetta Hoffman
We are all fine and adjusted back to our time-zone. We had a wonderful time in India visiting family and touring Rajasthan. I was thoroughly impressed with the services received by Compass India while touring India and also with all the help planning the trip. All of the representatives and guides were fantastic, knowledgeable and eager to help with any request we had. The hotels we stayed at were absolutely fantastic. It was very nice to have someone greet us at the airport/train station/ and hotels and help us navigate all the hussle and bussle of India. The road trip from Jaipur to Kota was a little hair-raising only because we are not used to such driving conditions back home, thank you for finding us alternative arrangements to get back to Jaipur on such short notice.
When we come back to India we will definitely be using your services again and we are recommending your company to all our friends and family. My husband took some wonderful pictures of India I will email you some once he has finished editing them.
Sincerely,Dipika Jain