Russian Gateway UK Limited - Customer Feedback

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 !

Just to let you know we are back safe and sound from Moscow. We had a wonderful time and we were all very impressed with Galina our guide who was so knowledgeable and interesting. Having a personal guide certainly enhanced our trip and, in our opinion, is the best way to visit Moscow. Elaine C April 2010

Hi Alan Just wanted to say thanks for a fantastic, fast and easy service provided by RG. Ill be sure to use you again on my next trip there.Many thanks

Simon G May 2010

We had a great holiday. Our guide Liza and the other girls were brilliant and it certainly was a wonderful introduction to Russia. Many thanks - Jo & Geoff S May 2010.

Alan, Thank you for a wonderful trip to Russia. We all had a marvellous time, and were so well cared for by all your Guides, who were so informative and helpful. Please thank Svetlana and Maria in Moscow for giving us such an interesting and enjoyable time, and Pauline in St Petersburg - can you tell her we thoroughly enjoyed the Caucus Restaurant and the Russian Museum. We managed to spend the whole morning there with ease.The ballet was utterly delightful, especially from those front seats, as was the theatre. The principal ballerina was superb, and it was so refreshing to watch all the performers enjoying themselves compared with here.As for the train trip! Perfect! Took me back to my early childhood annual trips between Glasgow and Liverpool which I loved - My daughter said I was like a child again! And so was she that night! We very much appreciated all your help in making the arrangements at short notice, and everything went like clockwork - such a relief after the horrors of a trip to Jordan this time last year with Explore. Catherine, Robert and Alison A January 2010

Dear Alan,Home again after a fantastic few days in St Petersburg. I wanted to e-mail you immediately but my internet connection has been 'down' until this morning. All the arrangements worked perfectly - the hotel and staff couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, Alyena (our tour guide) was both charming and knowledgable and the extra of our Folklore evening was memorable. It's impossible really to pick out one thing because it was all so special.Ann McC March 2010

Alan this is just to let you know that, despite BA's best efforts, my
wife and I made it to St Petersburg as planned and also managed to
return safely last night.
We had a truly wonderful trip due entirely to our guide, Elena Lavinskaia.
Elena was extremely generous with the time, amazingly knowledgeable,
enormous fun to be with and after almost a week in her company has
become a dear friend of ours.
Thank you for providing such a competent and delightful person. She
made our holiday a great success.
Kind regards
Charles T Jan 2010

Dear Alan
I am emailing to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip last week. We were of course very lucky to have Galina and Pauline, who were both superb, all to ourselves and had an
excellent time.
Thank you.
Regards.
Chris W Feb 2011

What a most wonderful time we had!!! Really really enjoyed ever minute of it. All the arrangements worked like clock-work and our 'little helper' was just perfect in every way. We really would like to go again either May or October 2010. We just made it with the weather. We had cold days obviously, but we were dressed accordingly so that was no problem. (Had UGG boots for my birthday, would very much recommend them for Russia).However, on the last day it turned to minus 12 and that is too cold to walk about town, but we were on our way to the airport so that didn't matter at all.
Thank you again for your efficient service and we most certainly would recommend you to people who might like to experience Russia too.Elda C Dec 2009

We have just returned from a wonderful weeks holiday in Moscow and St Petersburg. Both the hotels (Le Merdien National in Moscow and The Grand Hotel Europe in St Petersburg) were excellant and in a perfect central location making everything so easy for us. A special big thank you must go to our Guides, Galina in Moscow and Lena in St Petersburg. They both went out of their way to make our holiday perfect and to ensure that we saw everything we could possibly want to see both with them and in our free time. Their knowledge of Russian History, Culture, Architecture and Art was endless and we learnt so much from them so please pass on our thanks to them, Rod H June 2009

On behalf of all four of us I am writing to express our appeciation for your organisation on the above tour from which we returned on Monday of last week. Your own team were on hand to welcome us on our arrival in Moscow and the team in St. Petersburg were most efficient. Our guide to the Hermitage, Ilena, was superb and managed to lead us through lots of back stairways so that we could see all of what we wanted and avoid the crowds.

The Alexander House hotel was excellent and far more conveniently situated than we had at first appeciated. We loved St. Petersburg and are so pleased that we added on the two extra days particularly as these coincided with the annual Birthday celebrations in the city and we were blessed with unbroken sunshine. Also, we had the opportunity of doing many things which were excluded from the Viking itinerary., e.g. the Russian Museum, the Youssoupov Palace and the interiors of both St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of the Spilled Blood

We thought the Viking cruise was good although many of the Americans, with previous experience of the Company, said that it was not up to the Company's usual standard. However, the food was good even if the service was dilatory on occasions and the majority of the Guides were excellent.

Sincerely, Chris P June 2009

Alan I am sorry I haven't contacted you earlier but as soon as we arrived
back from Russia we were away again.

Thank you very much for all the arrangements for our holiday,
everything seemed to go very smoothly and my wife(for whom the
holiday was a special treat) really enjoyed every part of it - as I
did .

We particularly enjoyed the company of Galina in Moscow , she was so
informative and helpful and we had lots of interesting conversations
with her. Please pass on our thanks to her especially as I now know
how to drink Vodka properly !!

Eleana in St Petersburg was delightful . she was so sweet and very
sensitive to understand what we wanted to see. So please thank her
very much for the time she spent with us and tell her the pancake
shops indeed were very good.

Our drivers were always very obliging and pleasant.

We would most certainly recommend you to others and it was nice not
to have to concern ourselves with any of the arrangements such as
visas etc and all the meals arranged for us were most enjoyable.

The whole balance of the holiday with the free time for ourselves was
just right and it allowed us to explore and do our own thing which
was good.

Many Thanks Chris M June 2009

We did have a great trip to Russia - we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The boat was good and we had plenty of time in both cities as well as getting a feel for the countryside.

I would be happy to recommend this trip to friends.

Thanks for all your help.

Regards

Diana G June 2009

Dear Alan,

Just short email to let you know we had a good time on our recent visit to Moscow / St Petersburg. All the travel arrangements worked very smoothly and the hotels (Kosmos / Moskva) were good too. The 3 guides were had were excellent.

We are glad that we had the 11 day tour because it gave us time to do things ourselves and not be rushed. Donald had been to a Russian language evening class which we found very helpful for getting around on our own.

We have said to our friends and work colleagues that if they are thinking of going to Russia we can heartly recommend your company.

Yours sincerely,

Donald and Sylvia June 2009

Returned yesterday evening from St Petersburg. Excellent holiday in a very beautiful and awesome city. Your arrangements were great- hotel very convenient, comfortable and staff very helpful ; the driver (Slava) was great and our guide,Irena, was brilliant. We learnt a lot about Russian history and a little Russian language. Thank you.

Bill D June 2008

Firstly, we both enjoyed the holiday immensely. Both the guides were superb and their knowledge seemingly endless; we would have got much less from our trip without them. Both of them went out of their way to make our trip as enjoyable as possible and Galina got us into places we would never have managed without her, eg the Diamond Collection. Please pass on our thanks to them both and to the driver in Moscow who negotiated the traffic without ever scaring us! Mary R June 2008

Hi Alan,

Just a quick e-mail to say the Moscow break went like a dream (and then some!) - all Russian Gateway's organisation worked perfectly smoothly

thanks again... I'll probably be back in touch within the next week or two sorting out another Moscow trip again :)

Cheers, Nick T May 2008

Just a note to let you know we had the most fantastic time, especially in Moscow where our guide Tania was excellent. We were most surprised with the city, so open and green and the people helpful and friendly. Tania went out of her way to help and her parting words were "is there any more I can do for you?"

Rita O May 2008

We have all arrived back safely, the trip on the whole was very good, well organized etc etc. The logistics in Moscow was cool, the segregation of fans worked, the stadium was situated such that this was possible. There was no beer anywhere other than the airport though. Although I am probably being paranoid the delays we faced throughout the trip were a pain although I am not complaining too much as we won, I did feel that the delays were orchestrated by the authorities because we are English football fans. I wont list them, but thanks for everything,

Look forward to using you again in the not too distant future.

Thanks

David S, England v Russia football group May 2008

Just want to thank you and the Russian Gateway staff for providing a fantastic holiday package for my visit to St Petersburg with my sister Tracey(15th to 19th May). Everything was perfect - travel arrangements went smoothly and a great hotel (Alexander) and helpful staff. Our driver Igor and guide Lena deserve special mention as they were very friendly and informative - what a treat to have a driver and guide to ourselves! Without Lena we would not have learnt so many interesting things, she also gave us confidence to get the most from our time there. I also think we had just the right balance of guided tours and free time. Everthing was quite perfect and I will recommend Russian Gateway to my friends and colleagues. Definitely one of the best and most memorable holidays I have ever had. Many thanks Lynn B St.Petersburg Beauty 4 nights 4 stars May 2008

Overall we had a really good week and will very happily recommend Russian Gateway to friends. Many thanks for an excellent tour service for Russia. We have Irina’s email and will write to her. I will also write to Galina. With best wishes Tom B - Imperial Russia 7 nights 4 Star Plus February 2008

Thanks for organising a brilliant week for us. The Alexander House is , as you say, a wonderful find ; very relaxing , comfortable and in good location for getting around .

Thanks again David and Linda F - Imperial Russia 7 nights 4 Star Plus May 2008

We had a splendid trip to St Petersburg - thanks for all your arrangements. Our guide Elena was really excellent - knowledgeable, friendly, helpful. She took full account of our interests and was an essential part of our enjoyment of the visit. Alexandre, the taxi driver, probably has one of the worst jobs in St P, and got us everywhere

safely and on time. We have recommended Russian Gateway and our guide Elena to my sister who is still undecided about visiting St Petersburg. Thanks once again.

Gerard & Dorothy L - St.Petersburg Beauty 7 nights 3 Stars May 2008

Just wanted to say how very much Kathy, Margaret and I enjoyed the trip. We were most impressed with the arrangements for our flights, transfers, excursions etc. Our guide Lena Lavinskaya was excellent and having her and a driver made things much easier for us. We did in fact book a driver and guide for a fourth day to go to Peterhof. So, very many thanks. Thank you again for all your help. Kathy and I are planning another trip to Russia and will certainly use your services. Regards

Lynda D St.Petersburg Beauty 5 Stars May 2008

Just wanted to thank you and Russian Gateway for a fantastic time in Moscow. I also wanted to mention Victor, our driver, for always being punctual and waiting for us at the airport even though the plane was delayed by more than 2 hours and our guide Maria (I’m not sure if that’s how she spells her name and I think she is normally called Masha) who was absolutely wonderful. If you should speak to her in the future please say Hi to her from us. Both my brother, Greg and me are keen to go back again to Russia and if anyone asks about going to Russia I will definitely recommend you. Once again thank you very much. Paul F. Moscow Citybreak 4 nights 4 Stars May 2008

I thought I would drop you an e-mail to thank you and all your colleagues in Russian for a most excellent holiday. Alan and I had a wonderful time and were treated most kindly by our hosts Galina and Elena. They were excellent guides and we very much appreciated and enjoyed their knowledgeable talks. I will be recommending your company to all my friends. I have taken the liberty to send a few photos which if you have time you might like to send a selection to both our guides. Once again thank for organising such a wonderful experience. Kind Regards Gordon E Imperial Russia 11 nights 3 Stars May 2008

Just to say we had a wonderful holiday in St Petersburg last weekend, and thank you very much for your help. Our guide, Irene, was excellent and very knowledgeable. The upgraded hotel was in a prime position for sightseeing. With thanks, Barbara D, St.Petersburg Beauty 4 nights 4 Stars May 2008

Just a few thoughts after our holiday in Russia 8 - 15 May. We both enjoyed the holiday immensely. Both the guides were superb and their knowledge seemingly endless; we would have got much less from our trip without them. Both of them went out of their way to make our trip as enjoyable as possible and Galina got us into places we would never have managed without her, eg the Diamond Collection. Please pass on our thanks to them both and to the driver in Moscow who negotiated the traffic without ever scaring us! In both Moscow and St. Petersburg our driver or guide was waiting for us on arrival and every day.Everything was very efficient and all ran smoothly.

The hotels were very good, especially the Alexander House in St. Petersburg where the staff were very friendly and helpful. Uur holiday which was a trip of a lifetime. We had a wonderful time in a fascinating country and have many happy memories. We would not hesitate to recommend you to others. What really made our holiday were the guides who went out of their way to look after all our needs at the same time as telling us about art, architecture and Russian history both far past and more recent. We really appreciate and are grateful for both their knowledge and consideration.Many thanks to all concerned.
Best wishes, Mary and Kate R Imperial Russia 7 nights 4 Star Plus May 2008

Thank you for the holiday. We saw everything we planned and were looked after by both the guides who went beyond the call of duty. In Moscow the guide Galina Denisova did everything she could and really pulled every string she could to keep us on schedule with the trip . So its full marks for the Guides. Overall it was a good holiday, we have no real complaints and we would recommend you to others Thank You Allan F / Fran T Imperial Russia 11 nights 3 stars May 2008

Just returned from our holiday to Moscow and St P. We had a really lovely time..we even had sunshine most of the week! Generally everything worked very well and we were very impressed with The Alexander House - pristine clean and very pleasant and helpful. Overall we had a great time and I would like to thank you and your colleagues for putting it together for us. Regards, Susan S. Imperial Russia 7 nights 4 stars Plus May 2008