Testimonials

Linda
USA

Dear Aman,

Sorry for taking so long to respond, we were in Srinegar and had limited internet access.

I am very pleased to tell you our tour was absolutely perfect, mainly because of our guide. 
He was both extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the sites. He was 
amazing!

Both the car and driver were superior.

I have no suggestions about how to make it better, everything was perfect.

Regards,
Linda
USA

Randolf Laljee
Seychelles

Dear Aman/Fariha

Greetings from the Seychelles and do hope you are well. Thank you for putting together our programme  for the tour of North India which we enjoyed very much. Herewith our feed back on the trip.

Unfortunately with the problem with our local airline we were unable to travel as scheduled to Mumbai. We had to make alternative arrangement and arrived in Delhi early morning of 30 November. The airport service was OK and we were transferred to the Hotel Vikram. the Representative handed us with the itinerary which was well detailed, He briefed us on the visit of Delhi and we arranged the necessary settlement. Unfortunately our stay at the Hotel was brief, had breakfast which was OK and we started our tour at 8.00am. Arrived in Agra and the Representative welcomed us and arranged our check-in which was much appreciated. We conducted our tour of Taj Mahal which was one of the high-lights of our visit. Guide knowledgeable of the place and briefed us on what to do and what to avoid. His recommendation of the restaurant was a drawback and we did not enjoy our dinner. Four Point Sheraton was very good, very welcomed and they had a 40th wedding anniversary cake available which we celebrated with the management (maybe my son had something to do as he works witht his hotel chain.. Hotel very comfortable. The next morning we departed for Ranthambore and the Representative was waiting for us at the Ranthambore Regency. He checked us in and briefed us in detail of the safaris. We had two safaris booked but unfortunately we were not lucky with the tigers (did not see one) however during the afternoon tour we saw a bear which we believe is rare. The Ranthambore Regency is a nice hotel, staff very friendly and the meals were good with quite a good choice available. Rooms OK.

We then departed for Jaipur and upon our arrival at Park Regis Hotel we were requested to wait for some time (hotel overbooked) We obtained our room but technical problem with the room and they immediately upgraded us. This is Customer Services and they managed to defuse the situation. Hotel in general was OK. You then know the story with Fariyas Hotel in Mumbai. Kit and documentation very good, well detailed. We did not encounter any problems.

The car condition was very good, clean with no complains whatsoever. All the guides were very good and knowledgeable and were prepared to guide us on what to do and what to avoid. We did not have any problems with the guides.

The driver Norindha Tarachand was extremely good and would go out of his way to ensure we enjoyed our tour, always punctual. We would highly recommend Norindha for future tours organised by your company. The driver in Bombay Virendam was good and punctual. Meals in hotels ordinary (like in all hotels).

The small gift is innovative and the first time we receive such a present and we will keep it in a treasured place. We have travelled round the world and have never received such a present.  The availability of souvenirs is wide but you need time to ensure you obtain the best price and genuine things.

Our only problem which at times caused us some concerns was the lack of INRs. Not all establishments accepted USD notes but wanted only Credit Cards. We also lost heavily in our exchange dealings.

Ladies, this is our feed backs on the trip and do hope there is something that is useful when you are  putting together other tours for your clients.

Once again thank you for putting together this tour. Best wishes to all.

Randolf Laljee
Seychelles

Nurul
Malaysia

Assalamualaikum,'
Mr Aman, sorry for my late reply. Here are the answers for your feedback questions.

1. About our airport Representative at the time of arrivals / Departures & about welcome procedure?
We are satisfied with your warm welcome and hospitality.

2. About our welcome Kit and documentation ? 
 Everything was alright, however on the documentation, when we arrive and also going to depart, at Srinagar airport, we dont have a proper list on the visas and name of our groups, so it quite hard for us during checking in at srinagar.

3. About Coach condition ?
Our coaches were quite alright. we've had a good comfortable rides on them.

4. About English Speaking Guide and his Knowledge & Service ?
Our drivers, they have good knowledge on English and also Kashmir, thumbs up to them.

5. About Driver Behavior & Service ?
I would say that our drivers were the best part in our trip.

6. About Hotel Accommodation & Its Meal ? 
Our hotels, quite alright in terms of the locations and their views. Unfortunately, in terms of services, they need a lot to improve.
-We always face the blackout(cut of electricity) during our stay in each hotel.
-There were no room service, unlike other hotels in other countries, in kashmir they dont tidy up our room. The floor were really dirty and dusty (a bit hard for us, because we're Muslims and we are obliged to perform our prayers. So it is a must for us to have a clean room. And, if possible, they(the hotels)  should have praying mat inside each of the room.

7. We hope they like our small gift, request you to please write your feedback on souvenir so that we could improve on it with future guest ? 
The mugs are nice. But as you gave us in the begining of our trip, its quite hard for us to bring the gifts throughout the journey because it's fragile. But, thank you for your appreciation.

8. If there is any suggestion.
Since this was our first time to India, unlike other countries, we found that every single service (good or bad) the locals insist to have tips from us, in which it really annoys the whole part of the trip. I think, you should collect the tips earlier(include it in the tour fees and you deal with the locals, because when we need to give tips, we need to have small change, and the locals normallly dont have, so its not a good experience for us)

Thank you...I hope you satisfied with the answers above..
Nurul
Malaysia

Christine & Daniel
UAE

Dear Aman, 
Kindly find our feedback below. 
1) They were on time and saw us directly when we left the airport. It might be nice if they can assist the future guests with the luggage.

2) All the details and voucher were in the welcome kit

3) We had enough space in the car and it was always clean.

4) The Tour guides in all the 3 cities were excellent. They were always on time, provided us with a lot of information and story’s and the English was very good to understand. All of them were very helpful and suggest us some nice places to visit during our free time.

5) The driver was perfect. :) 

6) We were satisfied with all hotels except of the hotel in Jaipur. It was not clean and the food variety was also not good at all. We will not suggest to future guests to book this hotel.

7) It was a nice touch with the small gift at the end of the vacation. Elephants can be also a nice gift for the guests or to print out a photo of the guests in a nice monument or during the elephant rides. This will be a great memory to the India vacation. 

One more time, thanks a lot for the perfect vacation that we had in India. 

Best regards,
Christine & Daniel
UAE

Maxine
UK

Hi Aman

I have filled in the Facebook review and as you can see, we had an amazing trip. Thank you so much for everything you did.  I would particularly like to recommend Dorjay, our guide, who really did go out of his way to ensure that everything was perfect for us.  By the end of the trip, he felt like one of our family and we were sad to leave him.

The only disappointment was that we didn't make it to Pangong Lake because of a landslide. Clearly there was nothing that could be done about this, and we did enjoy a day seeing the sights which we would have seen en route to the lake had we gone, however, it did mean that we left Ladakh a day early and this incurred the cost of an additional hotel in Manali.  The local guide (I forgot his name, it was Dorjay's boss) did organise this for us and we thought it would be included, because we had lost a night in Leh, but when we checked out, we were asked to pay.  This is the only criticism I have. We did pay quite a bit extra for the Pangong Lake "bolt on" and the alternative given to us was not good value for money.

In any event, I will definitely recommend your company to my friends and I Will definitely use your services again for my next trip to India.

Regards,
Maxine
PS. Thank you for the gift. It's lovely
UK

Alison and Ella
UK

Dear Aman
Apologies for my late response to your email regarding a review of the services provided by Exceptional Escapes.
I can honestly say without any shadow of a doubt that this holiday was the best I've ever had.

All of our guides, Shivam, Saurabh, Dorjey and our guide in Agra whose name escapes me were fantastic.  Their command of English was excellent, their knowledge of everything they were showing us was in depth and they all had a friendly but professional manner.  Dorjey was particularly kind, caring and thoughtful and even carried a birthday cake for 2 days in his rucksack so that we could celebrate Ruth's birthday in the mountains.  Ella was ill when trekking and he insisted on carrying her rucksack as well as his own!   His knowledge of Buddism and monasteries was extensive and has made me want to explore the religion more!  The drivers we also excellent and they kept their vehicles spotlessly clean, constantly cleaning the windows so that we could take photographs through the glass.

The Hans Hotel in Delhi was good and where it was lacking the staff more than compensated for this. The breakfast was excellent and the beds really comfortable.  I appreciate that this is a mid-range hotel but the area felt a bit unsafe at night. The Sheraton in Agra was good too.  The Hotel Highland Mountain in Kargil was adequate.  However, there was a piano in the reception area which caused us some disturbance in the evening and we were also disturbed by what sounded like maintenance work being carried out in a room above us late into the evening.  This also stopped us from getting rest   The breakfast  unfortunately was rather awful, with stale cereal and inedible sweetened scrambled eggs!  The Hotel Ladakh retreat wasn't great either.  There was no WIFI and it seems they had no intention of mending it.  I appreciate difficulties with WIFI in this area but their WIFI was broken before we got there and was never mended.  The rooms were extremely variable with showers that soaked the whole of the bathroom and everything in them and the TV usually did not work unless we asked for them to be sorted out. It was pot luck if you had bedside lamps or if all the  lights were  working.   Could the rooms not be checked before letting them?    The night we arrived we had no towels and when we asked for them after much dialogue were given wet ones.  There were no dry clean towels in the whole hotel and we eventually got some at 8.30pm!  The manager refused to speak to us choosing instead for a member of staff with little English to struggle to appease us.  The Ladakh Retreat is run by a manager who seemed to have no pride in running this hotel, had no desire the keep his customers happy and preferred to hide in the back office making staff with little ability attempt to sort out problems and face the guests.  Some of the staff were absolutely delightful but with a manger like this were limited in what they could do.  I strongly advise you to accommodate guests in another hotel in Leh.  The homestays were delightful and Ella and I loved staying there.  They were a great experience and one we'd like to repeat.  Our upgraded hotel in the Nubra Valley was amazing and a real treat, if only we could have had a little longer there.

Our welcome kit was very helpful but I brought a copy of our  itinerary with me.  I had no room in my luggage and was struggling to keep it under 15kg.so the wallet was a little bulky to carry The framed print was beautiful and very generous but unfortunately the glass was smashed on route to Srinagar.  Maybe a print rolled in a cardboard tube would be more convenient for your guests.
All in all Aman you put together a truly wonderful itinerary with fantastic guides and drivers giving us an exceptional holiday with wonderful memories.  I will definitely recommend your company to others.  Thanks you so much.

Kind regards
Alison and Ella
UK

Fathin Abdl Rahman
Malaysia

Hi to whom it may concern 

I am writing  this because i am so happy and glad that i made the right choice to travel with u guys (Exceptional escape). i am a solo female traveler from malaysia.. and i felt so safe started on the day i landed at delhi airport.. mr guru if am not mistaken the name, he waited for me at the arrival hall and assist me until at the delhi hotel for my next departure to srinagar airport..and he also ensure that i felt safe n comfortable before he went back. there is no worried about communication as they speak fluent English. and I don't have to wait for the private driver as they really know how to manage time and came earlier to pick me up. talking bout landed at kashmir airport, as we know whole world talking about how bad is the situation.but what surprised me the most.. i felt like home and even safer than my own country.. they're welcome you.. they assist you.. they're welling to help you.. yes there is an army around but there is no such thing as the media published.. srinagar staying in houseboat (new zealand) yeay i am so lucky that i have mr zaour interduce me to my house boat famly who will be around and take care of me.. they invited me to they're house n served me kahsmiry tea and breakfast such a humble family and and after all i felt so touched by the way they treat me. food,well i am a bit choosy when come to food.. again i have to admit that i fall in love with the food.. it is delicious and not to worry about halal as they're muslim to. it is safe to walk alone there no one goin to come and disturb you.. no one goin to make any funny sounds just like many man in my country.. haha it is fact. believe me when i said that i am surprised an amaze with the people and the country.. i fall in love with kahsmir and i am not afraid to suggest my family members or even outsiders to come n visit there.. lovely people.. delicious food and nice place to visit... peaceful.it is wonderful than u can even imagine. i visit few places such as gulmarg.. naranag.. and pahalgam...hotels.. transportation..I don't have to worried bout it because it is much better than I expected . one word can describe my this year trip is,perfect.beyond my expectations. everything went smooth until I don't realise that my 10days and 9n there ended so fast and it is not enough for me. and i will like to thanks all exceptional escapes members who always text and even call me to ask my condition there. i will definitely come back to visit kashmir and more. 

With Love
Fathin Abdl Rahman.
Malaysia

Venkatesh Jayakumar & Deeptha Arunachalam
You guys are truly EXCEPTIONAL!!!!

Hello Aman,

Good Morning! We reached Chennai safely, day before yesterday (9-March) evening. Infact, we did not want our trip to end, given the fact that it was so perfectly arranged and organized by you and your team. Needless to say, Hats off to Exceptional Escapes and team. And Personal thanks to you Mr. Aman, for the warm reception at the New Delhi Airport with a Beautiful rose Bouquet and a wonderful gift.

1. Airport Representative at the time of arrival & welcome procedure.
As i have mentioned above, Mr. Aman received and greeted us so professionally and friendly.
It was indeed a memorable experience for us to meet Aman. Also, thanks a ton to Mr. Aman for helping us board the Kalka Shatabdi express early in the morning.
Also, the representative at Shimla railway station was also really friendly and guided us properly to Hotel.

2. Car Condition.
Car condition was decent enough. Especially, the car from Shimla to Amritsar (Swift desire) was spacious enough with sufficient Legroom. It was really convenient for both of us throughout the entire trip.

3. Driver Behavior & Service.
This was the highlight of our trip,which made our trip really successful and memorable.
Driver from New Delhi to Agra (Mr. Daya Ram) : Though we travelled in his car just for a day, he had built a good rapport with us. Of course, he was nice chap.
Driver from Shimla to Amritsar(Mr. Sant Ram): When it comes to transport team, We would give most of the credits to Mr.Sant Ram ji. He was so friendly, generous and above all very Patient chap. Though he had a packed schedule because of the long drives from Shimla to Amritsar, he was always cool and guided us perfectly about all the places we visited. We were lucky enough to get a down to earth driver like Mr.Sant Ram ji. He also made us visit temples which were not in the itinerary, thus making us exceed our expectations.Thanks again to Exceptional Escapes for arranging Sant Ram ji as our driver.

Driver from Delhi Railway station to Airport (Mr. Ravi): Though he served us for few hours only, he too was friendly and helped us transfer our heavy luggages from NDLS station to airport.

4. About our gift & Surprises
Needless to mention, this too was the best part of our Honeymoon trip. I would say, our trip wouldn't have been successful without the gifts and surprises arranged by Mr. Aman. The Bed decorations and Candlelight dinner arranged by Manali Heights hotel, made it really special.

5. Hotel Accommodation
We have rated the hotel out of 5, based on our stay and hospitality. Please see below:

Hotel Freesia - New Delhi - 5/5 (Full marks)
Hotel Fairmount - Shimla - 2.5/5 ( This was the Only setback)
Hotel Manali Heights - Manali - 6/5 (More than full marks)
Hotel Auspicious 8 Him View - Dharamshala -5/5 (Full marks)
Hotel Sawera Grand - Amritsar -5/5 (Full marks)

6. If there is any suggestion
The arrangement of our trip was so perfectly done, that i could not find even a single fault or drawback for which i could provide a suggestion. We are so much impressed and touched by the hospitality and services provided. To be frank, we have already started to plan for our next holiday, may be sometime in the end of the year. We will get back to you soon :-) Thanks again Exceptional Escapes.....you guys are truly EXCEPTIONAL!!!!

7. Please share photographs
We will share this very soon, as we are in the process of preparing a collage picture. Please do remind us, just in case if i forget :-)

Cheers,
Venkatesh Jayakumar & Deeptha Arunachalam

Graziela F Soares
Business Excellence Director
Established Pharmaceuticals Division

Dear Gaurav

I am sending a photo of the evaluation through whatsapp but I would to write my formal review through email

The trip in general has been exceptional

The driver was a sweetheart. Always bringing me something to eat or drink and also always carrying a beautiful smile

Jay- the tour guide is very knowledgeable and flexible. Being able to make the guest of the day during Aarti was something I will never more forget. He also got me some pictures from the ceremony what will cristalize my memories.

Also tried his best to get me as close as possible ro the Golden Temple. Really exceeded my expectation

Yoga class and massage also very good

Overall flexibility from everyone including yourself to accommodate my urgent need was also very good

In a nutshell an unforgettable experience

Thanks a lot!!
Graziela F Soares
Business Excellence Director
Established Pharmaceuticals Division

Ronita Paul
Singapore

Airport Representative  was very Good
Tour & Guide Services was very Good
Ground Services was excellent
Hotel Services was  excellent

The Services at Hotel was excellent Staffs very obliging & did go out of the way to make our days exceptional , Thanks to exceptional escapes  for making Josephine’s Birthday special

Ronita Paul
From Singapore

Sivanesan
Malaysia

Hi Aman 
Finally have some time to give you some feedback and hope you will take this positively.
 Start of Tour 5th February 2016
Ended 12th February 2016
Total 17 pax
 
1. Airport Representative at the time of arrival & welcome procedure.
GOOD

2. Car condition.
GOOD

3. Driver behavior & service.
VERY GOOD. AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO DRIVER MANDEEP�..WHO DESPITE KNOWING LITTLE ENGLISH, MADE EVERY EFFORT TO COMMUNICATE WITH US. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM.

4. About Guide
THE GUIDE AT MANALI… MR EENAM THAKUR IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5. Hotel Accommodation
GENERALLY ALL ARE GOOD EXCEPT THAT IN SHIMLA. SILVERINE HOTEL  IS NOT A SUITABLE HOTEL FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE AS THEY NEED TO WALK UP AND DOWNHILL TO THE HOTEL….THOUGH THE PLACE IS IDEAL FOR SHOPPERS

6. If there is any suggestion
IT WILL BE GOOD IF THE DRIVERS DO SPEAK SOME REASONABLE ENGLISH AS WE SPENT QUITE A LONG TIME ON THE ROAD.

Regrads
Sivanesan
Malaysia

Peggy Gluckstein - Canada
Thank you for an amazing trip!!

Hi Aman:

I first must apologize for not writing earlier. Quite hectic at work and home.

Thank you so very much for going above and beyond to ensure that we had a wonderful trip. I have been telling everyone about your hospitality. I truly had a great time and I especially am thankful for all your organizing and to take time to show us your family and invite us to your home. You have a beautiful family and I think Choti (your little sister) is so adorable.

I also am grateful for having had your friend to be with us.She is so kind and beautiful. I am showing my family and friends picture of you two. Please send the address of your family, so I can write to them. Also, I would like to have your friend address.

I can't thank you enough for making our trip so pleasant and also for the beautiful sari you gifted to me. I will have my son download my pictures when he comes home to visit from University.

Don't forget the experiences we had, especially where I was almost put in an Indian jail for the knife at the airport. Also, when my loving brother told you and Sur to go home on the train, only to call you back so you can bring them back to the hotel.

Please convey my regards and love to your friend and your family and know that we think that you are very special.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Cheers!
Peggy

Pankaj Panchal - IBM Canada

Hi Gaurav, thanks for following up and for all your efforts in making all the necessary arrangements for my trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. A few suggestions on how you might improve your services for future bookings, Guides were very good, but, I felt they could have done a better job in preparing me with following, level setting me on what to expect when I went to some of the shopping areas (where I could bargain, what is a fair price for certain items,...) at Fetahpur Sikri, I felt 'obliged' to make a sizeable donation, which upon reflection I could have easily turned down, but, it would have been nice for the guide to give me a heads up on what was coming.I almost felt like the Guide the individuals at Fetahpur Sikri were 'in on it together' ... not sure if that was true or not.

It would be good to share available Hotels in the area (prior to final booking), so that the client can review and provide their feedback. I found the Retreat Hotel, very good, Holiday Inn facility okay ... Staff was very good, IBIS hotel okay and staff was not attentive.

Other than the above, everything was done extremely well. I look forward to another trip with your group, this time with my whole family (probably in 1-2 years).

Thx again for everything.

Regards,

Pankaj Panchal
Delivery Project Executive, Financial Services Sector
Application Management Services
IBM Canada

Vish Singh - New York
Trip to Dubai & India

Hi Aman,
Many thanks for putting together a wonderful and memorable vacation for us. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We did not find anything lacking from your side. It was our first visit to India and it seems like we are already planning to be back. The pace was hectic so we did not find much time to visit the local markets which we will have to make up next time.
These are our comments:
1. Witnessing the pooja on the Ganges and having a dip in the Ganges was very exciting. The accommodation and food at Rishikesh (Parmarth Niketan Ashram) was not up to the expected standard (very poor).
2. The guide at Delhi (Shashi Jha) did a decent job in trying for us to see as much as possible of Delhi. He is also very knowledgeable in the sites. I would give him a four star rating. Accommodation and food – good.
3. The guide at Haridwar (Manju Sharma) did a fantastic job. Her knowledge, explanation and caring attitude was a delight for us as we visit the various temples. I would give her a five star rating. Accommodation and food – excellent.
4. I was not really impressed by the guide at Agra (Taj Mahal). He did a good job getting us into the Taj Mahal but once in there we had to figure out our way around. He just sat outside and waited for us to come out maybe because we were late as he said he expected us since 2:00 pm and we arrived around 4:00 pm. I would give him a two star rating. Accommodation and food – excellent.
5. The safari trip at Ranthambhore National Park was very good. We enjoyed the two trips. Accommodation and food – excellent.
6. The guide at Jaipur did a fairly decent job. I would give him a three star rating. Accommodation and food – excellent.
7. The excursion to Chokhi Dhani complex, ethnic village Resort was very entertaining. We enjoyed it. The food was no good � maybe we are not accustomed it.
8. The visit to the Kingdom of Dreams was awesome and we very much enjoyed the JANGURA show.
9. Dubai was awesome in every respect.
10. The driver (Pushpender) is a very humble and gracious gentleman. He is always punctual and greets you with a welcoming smile despite the long hours he has to drive. He also points out places of interest to us while driving and gives us a little geography lesson. He is an excellent driver and I can put my life in his hands. You have a reliable and dependable driver. I would give him a seven star rating and would also suggest a driving bonus for him when he takes such trips.
11. We were quite taken aback by all the guides (except Manju) taking us to stores to do shopping. The shop owner (s) have a way of corralling you through the store from one department to another. The prices seem exorbitant (I know these guys get a ‘kick-back’) compared to the markets / malls.
Despite some of my comments above we had a very enjoyable trip and that is what counts in the final analysis.
Take care Aman and we will be in touch.

Thanks again for making our trip a life-long memorable occasion

Vish Singh
New York

Nandranie - USA

Hello Aman,
Hope all is well with you wonderful people!
We reached home safely on Sunday morning (USA time) and slept most of the day. I cannot thank you enough for all your help and efforts in making our trip such a wonderful success. I will never forget the experiences we had and fun time we enjoyed all throughout the trip. I will send you pictures
soon.....'not to worry!!!'
You both helped us selflessly and I would like to thank you once more and wish you God's blessings for all your wishes to be fulfilled.

Take care
Love

Nandranie
USA

Singh, Roy - USA
We had the best time in India

Hi Aman,
We waited almost two years to meet again and it was well worth it. Everyboy had a fantastic time and loved every moment of it. Your friend speaks very good English now and we all wish her well in the future. It seems that shopping with your friend was the highlight of the trip, the ladies would not stop talking about it.

I recommend onenight in the Sundarbans. A tour to include walk thru the village. That was the only interesting thing. The Tiger Tower lookouts just have fancy names and a few buildings used by the Reservation officials. It is all water and the same kind of trees. So getting to the resort is enough waterways and trees. The Resort was extremely beautiful. The folk dance is of course an experience an spectacular in its own way. So I would say Tiger tower no good, village walk and folk dance very good.

I hope you catch up on your sleep.
It would not be long before we are in India again.
So care my dear friend, mera yaar hi.

Roy Singh
USA