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This was a well organised tour if only slightly longer than scheduled so budget around 3 1/2 hours. Also the guide collects money upfront to pay for all the food tasting so make sure you have around 200,000 dong yo pay upfront and more left over for the tip. I was carrying limited cash with me and felt bad I didn’t have enough for a decent tip. Other than that, we ate some great food, had wonderful experiences and really enjoyed the experience
I was honestly quite disappointed as we received very little anecdotal and historical information and some of the places we visited were not really required like some random train station (not train street) that was nothing but an unnecessary photo stop. I came back no richer in knowledge about the fascinating Old Quarters. Also she teased more money out one of the group which is not very professional
First things first, this is not a free tour. Once you book, you get an email from Susanna saying her base tip is 150 HK$ and if one feels upset about it, to cancel the trip! There is no choice given. A day before, she messaged me asking me to confirm my booking by 10 pm that night, the base tip message was included again and she said even if it was just me (as the other two had not confirmed), she would go ahead with the trip with just me. She also reiterated how good a guide she is. I reconfirmed & she acknowledged it. A few hours later I got a cancellation to say there were not enough people and she was cancelling! I told her she was unprofessional doing so despite assuring me she was going ahead. Then she canceled my second trip the day after. Later in the night, she apologises to say she has a flu coming on which was not the reason she first gave me so what am I to believe now? Now I get an email asking me to review the trip!!! So disappointed with GuruWalks. They should not associate with such unprofessional gurus. It threw all my planning out of gear
Lourdes was fun and very accomodating, changing routes and plans to make sure I got the best experience from the tour