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What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"I had to write this review when I saw the only review on here was so mediocre. We went earlier this year on an art tour of Florence. It was excellent, from booking to getting off the plane back in England. The hq staff, the tour guide and the expert were knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. The tour was brilliantly designed so we saw a great deal in a city of masterpieces, but never felt overwhelmed. The hotel was excellent. The meals were very good. It is expensive, but taking into account the quality of the hotel and the expertise of both the Martin Randall staff and the art historian it really is good value. The whole trip was good fun, enlightening and ran like clockwork. Nobody needs to go on a luxury tour accompanied by an academic - you could stay in a youth hostel and read a tour guide and see the same sights for a tenth of the price. But if you have the inclination and means then Martin Randall is an excellent choice. We have since booked another tour for next year, and I have my sights on two more."

What travelers are saying

"My wife and I have just returned from a two weeks holiday travelling around China which was booked via China links. Upon booking we were very surprised to find that we could not find any recent reviews of the company. We were a bit perturbed by this. The reason I am writing this is to say that we had a superb time and we felt that the trip was very well organised. All the reps meet us on time and they were all very knowledgeable. All the hotels were of a reasonable standard. Food was usually chosen by the reps and was very good. China its self was amazing with some fantastic memories. I would definitely recommend China links/ Links travel."

What travelers are saying

"My wife and I have just returned from a two weeks holiday travelling around China which was booked via China links. Upon booking we were very surprised to find that we could not find any recent reviews of the company. We were a bit perturbed by this. The reason I am writing this is to say that we had a superb time and we felt that the trip was very well organised. All the reps meet us on time and they were all very knowledgeable. All the hotels were of a reasonable standard. Food was usually chosen by the reps and was very good. China its self was amazing with some fantastic memories. I would definitely recommend China links/ Links travel."

What travelers are saying

"My wife and I have just returned from a two weeks holiday travelling around China which was booked via China links. Upon booking we were very surprised to find that we could not find any recent reviews of the company. We were a bit perturbed by this. The reason I am writing this is to say that we had a superb time and we felt that the trip was very well organised. All the reps meet us on time and they were all very knowledgeable. All the hotels were of a reasonable standard. Food was usually chosen by the reps and was very good. China its self was amazing with some fantastic memories. I would definitely recommend China links/ Links travel."

What travelers are saying

"My wife and I have just returned from a two weeks holiday travelling around China which was booked via China links. Upon booking we were very surprised to find that we could not find any recent reviews of the company. We were a bit perturbed by this. The reason I am writing this is to say that we had a superb time and we felt that the trip was very well organised. All the reps meet us on time and they were all very knowledgeable. All the hotels were of a reasonable standard. Food was usually chosen by the reps and was very good. China its self was amazing with some fantastic memories. I would definitely recommend China links/ Links travel."