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Customer
Feedback
We receive many
complimentary letters about the tours and cruises we
provide. Below you will find a selection of feedback letters
we received from returning customers. We literally have far
too many to publish below !
2007 so far
Just wanted to thank you so much for your brilliant service.
We had a truly great holiday, Irena and Slav (driver) really
couldn't have done more to make our holiday special...even
the smallest detail (Slav taking all the gifts we had bought
with him so we could walk around without carrying bags, and
arriving early for the airport so we had a chance to pack
them). To be shown around the Hermitage by someone in
such great authority made it all the more special. Irena
really made the whole experience wonderful and was the
perfect guide. We will most certainly be going back
again for a longer period and will of course be going via
yourselves. Thanks once again Alison B
March 2007
Hi , just
wanted to say how much we enjoyed our trip to Russia. Every
thing went to plan drivers and guides were on time and were
all very helpful and informative, Polina in Moscow and Irina
in Petersburg. Both hotels were great and food much better
than we were expecting. There is just so much to see we will
have to return, I have passed your brochure to friends
who are thinking of doing a river cruise, we would'nt
hesitate to recommend you. Hope to travel with you again, it
really was a week of special memories for us both
Linda M and Carole O
March 2007
Thanks for a great holiday, organisation faultless, guides
fantastic, all thoroughly enjoyed Russian experience. If we
can be of any help to any future nervous travellers please
feel free to pass on my e mail address! Thanks again
Victoria W
April 2007
Just a quick
note to let you know that our trip to St. Petersburg last
week was a huge success. Irina was just amazing and thank
you so much for organising that side of our visit. Your
standards are obviously very high and I would not hesitate
to contact you next time we visit Russia. Irina gave us her
e-mail address but do you have any contact details for the
St. Petersburg Association of Guides and Interpreters
Russia? I am writing to thank her but she also deserves
recognition with her association and I would be grateful if
you could point me in the right direction. Thanks once again
and please feel free to use my note as a reference if you so
choose, kind regards Trevor R
April 2007
Just a line
to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to
Moscow and St Petersburg between 20 – 27 January. From start
to finish everything was fantastic, the tour was everything
that was described and more. Everything went well and with
it being outside the normal tourist season entry to places
was instant without any need to queue. The traffic system
was a bit confusing but the driver’s confidence put you at
ease. The tour guides in both Moscow (Petlinka) and St
Petersburg (Pauline) were EXCELLENT.They were both very
enthusiastic when giving out information and the knowledge
of their city and Russian history was OUTSTANDING. The train
journey from Moscow to St Petersburg was faultless with the
first class sleeper compartment being opulent. (Why can’t
the UK have a train service like this?) I could recommend
the visit organised by Russian Gateway to anybody, and I can
also recommend that to visit in winter is great. Thank you
for the great organisation of this trip. Best regards,
John and Brenda W
January 2007
Mrs T and I
would like to say a big thank you to you for giving us such
a memorable trip to St Petersburg. We were absolutely
delighted with our guide Paula who made everything come
alive, and had endless patience with all our questions
Sincerely Doreen G
April 2007
What an
amazing service ! You did exactly what you said on your tin,
thank you very much ! Passports arrived today ! This is
special trip for us, once again many thanks - I am more than
prepared to provide references/testimonials if you need
Regards Ron E
May 2007 ,
Just to say, thank you so much for organising everything.
It all went very well and I will certainly recommend Russian
Gateway to anyone visiting Russia.Galina Denisova was an
excellent guide and we were very efficiently driven around
today. Best regards William O
February 2007
Thanks for
all the trouble you took to make this the most memorable few
days of sight seeing I have ever done ! Our guide ,Olga
Kovalevskaya, was so informative and went well beyond the
call of duty to ensure that we enjoyed our stay .. she was
absolutely excellent ! It was a shame that there was no
snow.. but everything else was great. Many Thanks,
Di L
January 2007
We are just back from our Russian Gateway trip and wish to
report having had a fabulous time. Vladimir the driver was
very attentive and prompt and Olga the guide was simply a
wealth of knowledge. We had hoped for colder weather but
were very satisfied to see pack ice on the Neva. All in all
we had a wonderful time. Thank you for the excellent
organisation. Molly and David G
January 2007
Morning Alan,
just a note to thank you for arranging the tours for us. A
lady called Galina took us around, she was very helpful and
knowledgable. Can you please pass on our thanks. She came
and took us to the Kremlin treasures and on the Metro on our
second day despite being unwell. We've now decided that
we've got to go back to Moscow and combine it with a trip to
St Petersburg. Travelling from one to the other by the
Moscow River. Thanks again Jeannette W
January 2007
Previous Years
Peter and I
have returned from our (postponed since last year!) trip
and want to tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves.
We found both
Moscow and St Petersburg fascinating cities and the
planned itinerary worked very well. Both guides( Eleana
and Galina) were excellent, a wonderful endless source of
information, history and memorable stories flowed from
their lips. Both showed great initiative when they
organised theatre and concert tickets for us.They remained
unfailingly good tempered despite awful weather and the
traffic and my subsequent grumpiness.Our train journey
from Moscow to St Petersburg was super, immaculate train
right on time. The Alexandra Hotel was excellent and we
would heartily recommend it.
Overall an
excellent trip, we returned converted to vodka and the
Russian Orthodox church! best wishes, Carol B
December 2006
I just had
to talk to you today to say what a fantastic trip we had
to St Petersburg organised by Russian Gateway .The hotel
you booked for us : the Alexander House on Kriutky
Kanaly,was absolutely charming with friendly , smiling
English speaking staff who could not do enough for us .
The food was good and the rooms we had - London and Roma
- were very comfortable and modern . It also was within
walking distance of the Nikolsky Cathedral ( a riot of
icons and gilded Baroque ) and the world famous
Mariinsky Theatre where we went to see two excellent
performances of ballet and opera ( beats Covent Garden !
).
We
saw the Hermitage museum(s) on two occasions but could
have spent a couple of months there to see it all . The
hotel organised taxis for us to go there .We also
went on a tour to see the Peter and Paul Fortress and
Cathedral ,the ' Aurora' , St Isaac's cathedral ,Church
of the Spilled Blood etc. and on the last morning to
Tsarskoe Selo to visit the mind blowing Catherine Palace
.Thank you for your excellent organisation and swift
action in obtaining visas ( I note through the Edinburgh
connection ) .As mentioned , please use this e-mail or
any part of it as a reference for your Company .Kind
regards John F
November 2006
Just like to tell you how much we enjoyed our holiday to
Moscow and St Petersberg,the driver and guide in Moscow were
first class.The train journey was excellent,thank you.
Regards David E
December 2006
We're back
and I just wanted to thank you for an excellent trip and
for the arrangements made. We were very pleased with the
guides,drivers and hotels( although the hotel locations
were a little way away from the centres) but we
thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would have no
hesitation in recommending Russian Gateway to friends.
Regards, Ian B April 2005
All
went exactly according to plan and we had a great time.
Thank you very much for all you did to help us Best
regard Bernard B
April 2006
Thanks very much for
arranging my trip to Saint-Petersburg from 11/05/2006 to
15/05/2006. Everything went very smoothly. The Stony
Island Hotel was excellent
and all transfers between airport and hotel went smoothly
Trevor
M
May 2006
We have
arrived safely back from our whistlestop tour of St
Petersburg. Though only 3hrs away, in some ways it seems
a lot further. You are no doubt eager for feedback, - so
just thought I'd pop down a few notes for you.The flights
were excellent, and the visa process & ticketing, booking
was all made really easy by Russian Gateway - it took a
lot of the hassle out of the pre-arrangements. The hotel
5th Corner was again excellent - a modern hotel, with
comfortable rooms and very helpful staff - although their
local knowledge and master of the English language was
rather limited, lots of sign language. The restaurant on
the ground floor of the hotel building was one of the best
I've eaten in, which was a real surprise. Rooms were
clean, modern and comfortable. Our rooms were ready for
us on arrival and the breakfast was also very good
We were
collected from the airport by the driver, which all went
very smoothly.
Amanda M
May 2006
I wanted to
write to you to tell you how much I enjoyed my tour to
Russia with your company. Most things were terrific
from the hotels, guides, food, sights, and weather to
the train, opera, and circus. The ease in which all
aspects of the tour melded together, added to the
enjoyment of the whole trip.
All my transfers were there
waiting for me and the guides, both Tatiana and Oxona
where extremely professional, very knowledgeable and a
pleasure to be accompanied by, they are an asset to your
firm. Tatiana especially, made suggestions for
additional tours and experiences that added much to my
visit. One in particular was a hoot. She suggested
seeing the opera at the Bolshoi, they were performing
Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. Not being too familiar with the
opera, I was unsure what to expect but it turned out to
be a joy to behold. The music was fantastic and since it
was a “modern” interpretation, I was able to identify
more easily. When a man in a full sized chicken costume
came out on stage, I knew I was in for a thrilling ride.
Tatiana, during intermission was unsure if I was
enjoying it but I assured her it was wonderful and so
much fun.
All the restaurants,
museums, palaces and shops were wonderful, and even
McDonald’s, my county’s contribution to the world, ha,
was memorable. The circus while seemingly for children
turned out to be a blast for adults as well. I will
never forget the amazing horse riders and the bears,
they were fantastic.
James M, May 2006
Many thanks. Our tickets did
arrive.
We are now safely home again after a terrific trip.
Many thanks and kind regards
Joanna S May 2006
Many thanks
- we had a superb trip and all the arrangements worked
fine. Flights were all on time etc. etc.
The
Alexander House Hotel - What a Hotel!! Wonderful
facilities and service. All with such charming manners
and helpful approach.
We met my
niece who is out there studying and had a few days
together. She showed us round a small fraction of the
city and surrounding area. I think everyone enjoyed an
excellent break.
Thanks again
for all the arrangements,
Peter
V May 2006
We have
just returned from our trip with your company on the
river cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow. We really
enjoyed the experience and found the ship, food and
hospitality excellent
Francia K May 2006
We
have just got back, the trip to StPetersburg was
wonderful.The guide and
driver could not have been more helpful or efficient,and
the programme was
great.Hotel was fine but did not take visa and was
reluctant to take dollars
or eurs in the restuarant on the first night which
wasawkward as we arrived
late and did not have roubles maybe best to advise
travellers to take some
as no cas point at airport obvious!many thanks for
organising a graet trip.
ballet was great and tickets were waiting for us . very
efficient.Best
Wishes Jane W June 2006
I
enjoyed our trip to Russia, it exceeded my expectations! I
thought Moscow
was wonderful and so full of variety. You need a week there
and then some..
The train was an experience! I loved St Petersburg and was
pleased we were at the MORSKAYA as opposed to
Sovietskya, as we used the local mini bus quite safely and
we were out of
the hassle of Nevsky Prospect to get home at night.
Oksana our guide and Andrei in St Petersburg should have
special
recommendation for care and professionalism.
A super trip, I have already recommended Russian Gateway,
one or two blips
in Moscow that were all part and parcel of foreign travel. I
loved it!!
Thank you Sue B April 2005
Just
wanted to say a big thank you for your help with getting
tickets to the Bollshoi Ballet. It was amazing! Thanks
again, Nicole April 2005
Just a
short note to let you know how much we enjoyed our break
last week. The Alexander House was even better than we had
been led to believe, and our guide, Olga, was excellent.
Even the weather was fairly kind to us. many thanks
Andrew M February 2005
Your
are right!!!!!! Red Square at Christmas was one of the most
wonderful and breathtaking sites i have ever seen travelling
throughout the world. It not only looks amazing but it has a
great feel to it. Thank-you for passing on our comments as
the guides were certainly a big part in making our holiday
such a memorable one, they were wonderful. It was great to
recieve such a wonderful and insiteful tours. I would
certainly be happy to put my name and endorse Russian
Gateway as i believe you have a wonderful / unique service
that deserves to be recognised. If there is anything you
would like me to do, don't hesistate to ask. Many thanks
again and we look forward to going back at some stage
Cheers Mark C December 2004
would
just like to say a very big thankyou for orgainsing our trip
away to Russia at Christmas time. Everything went really
smoothly and we had a fantastic time! One of our best
holidays! Thanks again Kind Regards,Melanie M January 2005
Got
back in last night - just a quick thank you from both of us.
Had a wonderful time - to open the door of our railway coach
no 2. at St Petersburg station at just before 8 o'clock in
the morning and have someone standing there right next to it
with a sign for us was amazing! Then to be able to crash out
for a few more hours at the hotel - great. La Sylphide was v
good at Bolshoi. We were so inspired we went to see Romeo
and Juliet at Mariinsky Theatre with Diana Vishneva - she is
really good!! The hotels were both fantastic - The National
is really convenient for the centre. We were disappointed we
hadn't had any snow - then when it arrived on our last
morning we decided it was a good job it hadn't come earlier!
(-10 in St Petersburg...) Thanks again.
David and Polly C November 2004
4 night
trip to St.Petersburg June 2004 Just to let you know that we
are back and everything went really smoothly. The guide
Pauline and the different drivers made our stay very
enjoyable they could not please us enough, nothing was too
much for them. The hotel we stayed was very comfortable and
the staff very helpful. I am still trying to take everything
in, you were right, there was so much on the programme, but
we did get a chance to re-visit and digest the places we
toured, we even were brave enough to try the local food -
pancake filled with mince and we picked up a few of the
Russian phrases - e.g. good morning, please, thank-you, but
I would not know how to spell these so I will do the
language justice by not even attempting this phonetically -
this really impressed the locals. We tried the metro, even
walked from the town centre to our hotel, which took us
about 2 hours, this way we saw many other interesting
monuments, we will have memories for many many more years to
come. Maybe the next time we will try and visit Moscow.
Thank you very much for handling the booking of our trip, I
will recommend you to whoever wants to visit Russia - Best
Wishes MR & MRS J FER.
11 night trip
to Moscow and St.Petersburg June 2004
We would like
to say thank you for arranging our 11 day holiday in Moscow
and St Petersburg (1st June-12 June). We were very pleased
with the whole organisation and with the quality of the
guides and the drivers. Everything went very smoothly and
allayed our fears of not being able to speak Russian and
finding ourselves in a mess! We thoroughly enjoyed the tour
and would recommend it to our friends Mr & Mrs Gr. 7 night
trip to Moscow and St.Petersburg June 2004 I believe you
spoke to my wife who has probably told you what a wonderful
trip we had. All the arrangements worked fine and the hotels
were excellent. We particularly liked the National, not only
is it a very nice hotel but in such a wonderful location.
All the guides were excellent. Many thanks Peter R.
7 night trip
to Moscow and St.Petersburg May 2004
Having just
returned from our holiday with your company from Moscow and
St Petersburg, we want to say a very big thank you for all
the arrangements. The hotels, meals, guides, drivers, etc.
were A1 and all ensured a holiday that will be forever in
our memory. It was our first time to Russia and we were not
disappoiinted thanks to your expert arrangements. All we
have to do now is spend weeks and weeks making sense of all
the videoing and the 18 rolls of film. Again many thanks. T
& P Gr. 4 night trip to St.Petersburg June 2004 Our visit to
St.P. was excellent! The Alexander House just 15 mins. walk
from the centre. It was absolutely lovely and I can
recommend it to anyone. If you don't have a brochure I can
send you one. Best wishes Pam and Sheila
Russiana
River Cruise to Moscow and St.Petersburg June 2004 Thank you
for organising a splendid holiday. We had a highly
satisfactory time, The food was wonderful, something we
hadnt expected. there were lots of French people on the
cruise and they had lavish praise for the cooking and
presentation. We would definitely go again! The folk group
were also excellent, as was the pianist who deserved a
better piano. Because we were a day early we were the first
guests of the season and everyone was kind and smiling! The
Russian language lessons were fun and useful. We managed to
communicate with strangers rather to our surprise. The
Russian history lectures would have been even better if the
unfortunate lecturer had not been told at the last moment
that he was allowed only 45 minutes instead of the 90
minutes he had been told to prepare. We would have preferred
the longer time as he was very interesting and we learned a
lot. There was a Round Table at the end which provided an
enlightening discussion . everyone enjoyed the Russian
singing. Altogether a great success. Thank you again,
Regards, Sylvia and Brian
Full Charter
Christian Cruise Mission to Moscow and St.Petersburg May
2004
Absolute
Wonderful...the best mission cruise line in all the world. I
loved the beautiful ship painted and spick and span. I loved
the crew....and all the maids, bar attendants, waitresses,
and Shantell...became our best friend. Our people voted you
# 1. The food was sooooo good. She helped us do our mission
work so well each day with lunches and buses. The weather
was almost made to order for us....we did not want to sun
bath....but to walk and work ....And it was sparkling and
crisp...we loved it. The Bibles were great...we praised the
printer who delivered them. We unloaded the van with our
crew.....the driver helped us some until we could get a full
crew of our men...then things went fast and smooth.. We
packed them in our extra rooms on 2 deck. And had our team
to unload the medicine and Bibles. One of our men got
arrested for distributing...but when they found out that we
were giving the Childrens Bibles out free...they wanted one
for all their children and thanked us and gave him an escort
back to the area in North Moscow we were working. They loved
our pantomime drama...and singing groups.....Our people were
friendly and the Russian people were friendly right back. We
had good daily worship times and they put the chairs in
there...but we fitted in there and the dining room nicely. I
believed they liked our people in the bars too...we bought a
lot of non=alcoholic drinks and coffee and peanuts etc. We
gave the crew a nice gift....about 2300 dollars as a
thanks..they divided it up.... We slept good...and had lots
of fun......We just tried to help....not demand.....and were
flexible to the needs of the crew. I met my match with the
Captain on Captains Dinner. He had some good one liners that
got me...but that is my way with them....Our days from St.
Petersburg to Moscow was a trip of the lifetime. We loved
St. Petersburg...it was so beautiful....and Red Square was
open and they loved it and Gum.......The people praised me
for such logistics that worked like clocks .....Our medical
teams served our churches and 1000 received a doctor
visit....that can not afford them. We passed out at least
1,000,000 dollars worth of medicine in our retail value...It
is hard to judge all this....Our mission people enjoyed a
few meals with us and several days each on the boat. I want
to thank Russiana Cruise for such a well done cruise. I will
say more good reports ...but this is the first one. As for
me and you...We did it and did it very very well. If I were
grading the whole cruise...it would be a perfect 10!!!! Dr.
J Trip to St.Petersburg June 2004
I just had to
write to say what a fantastic hotel the "Alexander House"
was.
I will admit
that over the past couple of weeks I have been more than a
little concerned about the arrangements. However, transfers
and the hotel were excellent. The staff at the hotel were
amongst the best I have ever encountered in terms of
attentiveness to guests needs. The hotel is really in the
heart of the city within easy walking distance of the sites
of the city.
Thank you for
helping to create a great holiday
Ian M 11
night trip to Moscow and St.Petersburg June 2004
We have just
returned to Brazil from a visit to the UK during which
period we took one of your 11 day tours to Moscow and St
Petersburg. We just wanted to thank you very much indeed for
organising such a superb tour for us. Everything went
exactly according to plan, the guides etc were all on-time
and very helpful (we learnt a lot about the history and the
people of the region), the hotels were as expected (Cosmos
in Moscow - large, impersonal but adequate) or very, very
much better (Alexander House in St. P. - a wonderful homely
hotel with fantastic staff .... nothing was too much trouble
for them even down to providing mushrooms for my breakfast
and a computer for my work .. and extremely comfortable).
Even the day train (which actually has no berths but normal
2nd class seats) was a most interesting experience and not
to be missed. With the help of our guides we were able to go
to a concert, a folk-lore evening and the opera, as well the
programmed events. All in all it was tremendous value and a
holiday to be remembered. Thank you very much indeed for
your most kind personal attention. All we need to do now is
to find the "Australian Gateway" equivalent for next year's
tour.
With very
best regards,
Barry C 7
night trip to Moscow and St.Petersburg June 2004
Hello Alan
Just a note to thank you so much for organising our trip to
Russia. We had a wonderful time, thanks to everything being
so well organised. The guides, Masha and Tanya were
excellent, as were the hotels in Moscow and St.Petersburg.
Everything went like clockwork and I will have no hesitation
in recommending you to others, in fact I already have done!
The others in the group were very friendly and we all got on
well together. All in all, a great experience, which we will
never forget. Many Thanks Maureen A 7 night trip to Moscow
and St.Petersburg June 2006 |
