| |
Date of Travel: |
2012-01-17 |
|
| Very high level of service, loved that they met us at the airports. After being in Accra and Takerati (we flew to Accra on the way back) airports where we feared for our lives it was nice to have someone meeting us. The accommodations were great and Kings Camp was incredibly top notch. The safari was the most amazing experience. Capetown was beautiful, the shark dive was amazing, the home host dinner was a highlight which we didn't expect to be as great as it was. We LOVED meeting the family and the others that were there too. Victoria Falls was spectacular and you won't believe this but Nicole did the Bungee jump !! |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
 |
| |
Date of Travel: |
2012-01-11 |
|
| No one knows SA as good as Thompsons and with regards to service “Spotless”
|
| |
|
| |
India |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-12-16 |
|
| I just wanted to personally thank you for all you and Thompson's did to make our FAM a success. I definitely think there will be more business coming from that group because of how well everything went. We all really appreciated the assistance Craig and Linda gave us; they did an exceptional job. I also recognize all the behind the scenes work that I know you and your team put into this trip to ensure it was a success.
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-12-10 |
|
| We would like to thank your staff for the way they handled our holiday arrangements. In particular we would like ot thank Bongi Ndlovu for her diligence and good natured assistance. A very special mention must be made of our wonderful guide/driver Ameen Dhansay. Fir five days on the Garden Town, Ameen was superb, genial, very generous with his time and energy and made a terrific difference to the quality of the whole experience by sharing his extensive knowledge of the areas and cultures. He is a very special person!
|
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-12-07 |
|
| Thompsons Africa have instilled a culture of service in all your staff and it's a pleasure to deal with them. I'd like to make special mention of the following staff.
1. Caroline and Naadiya - best reservations team in the business.
2. The afterhours emergency team - Thomas and Donavan - always unfailingly polite and proactive.
3. Bonnie Shaw and Sumendri Govender- the epitome of efficiency
4. Diane Govender and Chantal Myburgh - always rise to the occasion
5. Marge Janssen and Angela Cawood - just a pleasure to deal with, no mountain to high for them.
6. Dick Randall - exceptional guide
We feel that Thompsons are true partners and are invested in jointly growing our mutual business. If ever there is an issue, it's resolved timeously and satisfactorily, though issues are few and far between.
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-12-05 |
|
| Well, I do not know where to begin and how to Thank you and Thompsons for giving us an amazing service, and specially thanks to you for arranging my trip, I really appreciate all you did for my husband and I for this memorable trip.
I love South Africa and have such a great passion selling the destination, now this trip totally did wonders to sell more specially to put Durban in more itineraries.
It was great to meet with you and Themba and all the ladies that work with me, it was just great. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-21 |
|
| I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you my love-Tracey, my darling -Ryan, my baby mummy -pearl, my sweet heart -Shewta and the entire Thompsons Africa team for the warm reception upon my arrival in your office. Your service during the entire period was prompt and on-point.
We hope that the future brings us loads of good business
Ngiyabonga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Siyabonga!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you! |
| |
Odion |
| |
Lagos |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-16 |
|
| Hope all is well down South Africa way. Sorry we haven't written sooner - we still talk to our family and friends about our FANTASTIC trip to your lovely country!! The rest of our trip was just beyond words to describe it. Everything was just wonderful - we dearly loved your country!! We only wish it was a little closer to us so we could visit it more often. We were thrilled to see all the animals at the Kapama Reserve. It was exciting to watch all the different animals just walk by our vehicle on the safaris. Our visit with you two was just great!!! It was so kind of you to open your home for our visit and the meal and conversation was wonderful - we can't thank you enough!! |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-15 |
|
| It was the best holiday we have ever been on .....!
The Lodge,food,service,safaris,rangers etc etc were superb and the local airport service plus transport to/from the Lodge was first class.
I must say the Millie who we dealt with at the airport did a fantastic job and I have already mentioned to many people about the "Rock Star" service we received.
Well done to you all and thank you. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-15 |
|
| It was the best holiday we have ever been on .....!
The Lodge,food,service,safaris,rangers etc etc were superb and the local airport service plus transport to/from the Lodge was first class.
I must say the lady (Millie..) who we dealt with at the airport did a fantastic job and I have already mentioned to many people about the "Rock Star" service we received.
Well done to you all and thank you.
|
| |
Jerry |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-15 |
|
| We had a great holiday! Everything went off rather well. Thanks a lot. Thompsons are indeed an efficient and well organised company.
|
| |
|
| |
Dubai |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-13 |
|
| Our first time to South Africa but seriously not our last!! What a wonderful place!! Rufus is the best guide of the whole Kruger National Park. Yesterday we saw the Big 5 before breakfast and we were very lucky. We also saw the extra 7!! What a great experience. The camp is wonderful! Everybody makes us feel like home.
|
| |
|
| |
Germany |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-11 |
|
| Just further to that email, Angela was fantastic throughout the whole process, she is extremely reliable, offers help whenever I needed it and also would pick up on things that I missed. It was great dealing with her and she is a great asset to your team!
Thanks Ang!!
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-08 |
Buffalo Rock |
| What an experience! Elvis found the Big 5 on all 3 days. National Geographic photos of all the Big 5. Roxie served us 5 star meals for Brunch and Dinner! Jeffrey gave us a 5 star camp! Our tirp cumlinated with a birthday party for Elvis. Happy 35th buddy. We now have memories we will share for generations to come. A once in a lifetime magical moment. We will keep you in our hearts forever. Thank you so much. |
| |
|
| |
Kuwait |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-11-08 |
|
| Absolutely Amazing!!
Loved it - Fantastic experience - Rufus went the extra mile - Roxy and Jen looked after us extremely well.
Would recomment to all.
Thank you
|
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-23 |
|
| We recently travelled to SA and Mauritius, but had a slightly eventful journey to get home.
We were diverted on our flight back from Mauritius and missed our connection to London.
We wanted to thank Donovan for his incredible help in organising hotels and return flight home. You should be very proud of his customer service which was exemplary. He was on the phone at 22.30 finding us a flight and then at
05.15 confirming he had arranged our return to London. He regularly phoned me to check everything was in order.
Donovan is a real credit to your company and we would really appreciate you passing on our thanks
|
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-21 |
|
| We are doing well. Everything is going smoothly. We really enjoyed the Rovos Train, they are service oriented. The food was wonderful and our room was very comfortable. Yes, we are all repacking tonight and excited about seeing the animals. Thompsons has been there all along the way to greet us and see that we are checked in for our next adventure. They were always on time and we enjoyed all our tours.
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-19 |
|
| It could not have been more perfect. Everything from the transfers, to the “12A” (twelve apostles), to the tours and the safari, were great! Bayethe is our favorite place in the world – we LOVED the luxury tent!
Again, thanks for everything – you truly made the honeymoon an unforgettable experience!
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-18 |
|
| Thank you and the Thompsons team for all your efforts with these clients (sitting down with them and finding their bags).
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-12 |
|
| I am sorry this has taken so long but wanted to say a huge Thank You for all your assistance on our recent educational. Everything went very well and the agents enjoyed the trip. As I mentioned I will pass on all the feedback from the agents as soon as I have it.
|
| |
|
| |
Australia |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-11 |
|
| I wanted to email you first but you beat me to it! We had the
most amazing honeymoon, thanks to you! You were absolutely right in
every way. The Twelve Apostles treated us like royalty (and we were
upgraded at no charge to the ocean-view suite...BIG surprise! And
thank you for the champagne in the room!). Cape Town was gorgeous and
the hotel could not be MORE accommodating.
The airport transfers were flawless. Every driver was early, cheerful,
and knowledgeable about the drive from the pick-up to the drop-off. We
were so impressed.
But when we got to Savanna Lodge (your suggestion), our trip was
propelled to PHENOMENAL. We want to coerce everyone we know to go to
Savanna. The staff there was amazingly friendly and helpful, and we
were upgraded to their most high-end Savanna suite at this location
too! Their honeymoon service was incredibly thoughtful and romantic,
the game drives were amazing, and the entire experience there was
professional, pampering, and 5-star all the way.
I cannot thank you enough for your expert recommendations, quick and
efficient service (as we were planning so last-minute) and absolutely
spot-on advice for our trip. You made our trip easy, worry-free, and full of luxury!!
We feel like we've been walking on a cloud since we arrived
home.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-10 |
|
| Greetings from England!! Hope you are well.
As you know, I have just returned back from a fabulous stay in South Africa. My partner and I cannot thank you enough for an unforgettable trip. Your staff were brilliant. They couldn’t do enough, we would like to mention Dannie in Cape Town, he took our Cape Peninsula trip he was the cherry on the top of a great day! We are very grateful for all the hospitality from you and your staff, I cannnot stop talking about it. Thank you for everything and here is to putting loads of bookings your way!
We had an amazing stay trip and please thank EVERYONE involved! |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-08 |
|
| Everything worked perfectly! We got the EXACT trip we wanted: cities, wine country, shoreline, game reserve, river delta, Victoria Falls ... all of it was perfect. And we enjoyed the ideal (for us) mix of guided and self-guided experiences, so that was excellent, too.
A few notes on the various lodgings. First, one universal remark: breakfasts throughout southern Africa are in the British tradition (big meals), and they are uniformly outstanding! You really go out for your day with a full and satisfied tummy! Secondly, all the camps offer daily laundry service. So your clients can and should take advantage and pack light! All of southern Africa is very, very casual. There's just no need to worry about "dressing for the occasion". Nobody does!
The Cape Grace hotel offers probably the best service of any hotel either of us has ever stayed in, anywhere in the world. And the location is the very best in Cape Town. It's quite simply the best.
Londolozi has marvelous accommodations and is very serious and professional about getting you to see the big game, so that's excellent. Over 220 staff for 60-70 guests. Founders Camp turned out to be the very best choice for us (we had our own little stone house). But their lunches & dinners were only so-so, compared to the other "camps".
The Westcliff Hotel in Johannesburg was a lovely property with gorgeous, spacious rooms, and breakfast was to-die-for. But the cliff-side location introduced some annoyances, and the Polo Bar (casual bar/restaurant) -- while pretty -- offered poor service and dreadful food. You clients should stick with the "main" restaurant (can't remember the name).
Shinde Camp was wonderfully charming and laid-back, with wonderfully good food and group meals that we really enjoyed. Plus they've got the water there, which introduces a whole other dimension. But the approach to game-sighting is more casual than Londolozi; you might see some great animals ... or you might not! On-site staff = 28 for maximum 18 guests.
Tongabezi at Victoria Falls was a worthy destination in its own right, even if you never visit the Falls! It's more targeted toward couples and romance (you're seated for meals at your own table -- like a normal restaurant -- unless you *request* to dine with someone else). And the butler service is wonderful! Again, our "cottage" unit (standalone 3-room villa) turned out to be the very best for us. They've got other, fancier options that are, yes, quite spectacular. But, after looking at them, we were glad to have our cottage. Some were literally wide-open (no walls!) to the outdoors, and others were just a bit "over-the-top" for our tastes. Over 70 on-site staff for max 30 guests.
Be sure to let your guests know that wild animals roam around these camps! In the various camps, we dodged elephants, wild boar, nyalas (big antelope), Cape Buffalo, monkeys ... even lions! One day at Londolozi, the guests in Varty Camp could not leave their rooms because several lions had made a kill right in their midst! One night at Shinde, we were kept awake at 3AM with "Edgar" the elephant tromping noisily around our tent and stripping the leaves off the trees. It was exciting and fun, but also a little nerve-wracking ... especially at first. You'd be surprised how quickly you get used to saying, "OK, the elephant's behind the other cabin now, I think we can make it to the breakfast area if we run!" And, yes, the environment is a bit "buggy" at places, but it was a minor factor. It was manageable and we weren't terribly bothered by it.
Nearly all of our day-tours and transfers were handled by Thompson's, and they were very punctual. We noted, however, that the professionalism of the service degraded as we moved north. It was very best in the Cape Town area, then got slightly more dodgy as we worked our way to Johannesburg and into Bostwana, Zambia, etc. But overall it seemed to be just like here in the US, where things get a little more "casual" and relaxed as you head south. They're in the southern hemisphere, so moving north brought less professionalism. I can explain more if you're interested.
Thanks very, very, very much for all your help and support! The trip was everything we hoped it would be. We will certainly recommend you to our friends!
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-10-07 |
|
| from September 2 to September 14,2011 I took part in a German only travel trough Namibia, organized by Thompson Tours. This email is to inform you and to give you a little feed back.
To say it quite clear: The whole tour was perfectly organized and carried out.
There was absolutly no reason to complain.
Special thanks should be given to our guide and driver, Mr Armin Heester.
Due to his great appearance this two weeks-travel was a great expirience.
All guests unamously agreed htat this travel was a very positive time.
So please take this feed back as a thank you for two great weeks in Namibia and please give my special thank you to Mr Armin Heester.
|
| |
|
| |
Germany |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-26 |
|
| Hi Brig, Jessie, Sasha,
Congratulations and Well Done!!
Many thanks for working so tirelessly on this and for paying special attention to this grp.
I am sure everybody is happy to thanks for a job well done! Kudos to all involve! |
| |
|
| |
Philippines |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-26 |
|
| I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for all the work, ideas and suggestions Margaret Janssen has given me in planning and booking my holiday to South Africa later this year.
Margaret quickly identified the kind of places we wanted to experience and the pace of our holiday and has dealt with everything in an amazingly friendly and professional way.
As a result of Margaret suggestions, my husband and I are fired up with excitement at the prospect of our stay. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-23 |
|
| As the saying goes, rightful credit should be made due at its earliest wherever applicable. In this instance, it once again goes to your SUPER STAR, Caroline.
I must say that in the recent couple of weeks, there have been 2 situations which have arisen that shows her exemplary dedication, professionalism and thoughtfulness. To specifically mention about the below bookings:
MONKHOUSE X 4 where she held accommodation (with choices) and also offered a private Magnificent Garden route tour which enabled me to push clients to seal the deal. KAMMINGA X 4 where she made suitable recommendations and helped me get the booking. I actually felt very bad as she had to work late to complete the Kamminga file; but she refused to let things be pending. This shows that she always goes above & beyond the call of duty and does things which will benefit. On that same note, I have also noticed that she is also turning into a great mentor and coach to Naadiya which was noticeable on the Rolnick file where a potential situation was averted by some forward thinking.
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-23 |
|
| Dear Karina
Just a few lines to say thank you so much for your time, professionalism and your comforting words during a time that was so emotional for me. I really appreciate you and I thank God I was in Thompsons’s hands when I had to face a very difficult challenge. So glad you were on my team.
I am putting 2 more groups together for next August and I booking with confidence. I have included Durban in the itinerary this time because I want to thank you in person.
If you come to California or Nevada before I come next year, I would love to take you to lunch or dinner.
Let’s keep in touch. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-23 |
|
| Dear Burton
Just a few lines to say thank you so much for your time, professionalism and keeping us informed during a time that was so emotional for me and the group. I really appreciate you and I thank God I was in Thompsons’s hands. You were so good with Mr. Conrad and his friends when Mrs. Moore passed on; and your assistance at the airport when we departed was greatly appreciated.
Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you next year. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-16 |
|
| Just had a chat with James. Thank you all for making their stay in South Africa so memorable. They had a fantastic time. They praised Thompsons and their guide. And of course they loved their stay at Cape Grace.
Many thanks to you all. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-09 |
|
| What a wonderful visit we had, many thanks for all your hard work in organising the trip. The title : ‘A World in One Country’ was astonishingly apt, I hadn’t expected South Africa to be quite such a diverse country. We were very impressed by the quality of service throughout. Klaus who took us on the first leg of the journey was quite a character, he made every step of the way into a fascinating story, his enthusiasm seemed boundless! Michael, who picked us up from Port Elizabeth was also excellent, they both offered a professional and flexible approach, their driving – over such long distances – was faultless. All the other guides/drivers were also helpful friendly and informative and we were very struck by the warm smiling welcome we received wherever we went. We had expected to enjoy the safari and the landscapes, they were indeed wonderful experiences, but we were also very struck by the township tours. The Amy Biehl project was particularly fascinating and I very much hope we can try to promote this as part of our tours. I’ve taken hundreds of photographs, completed a whole book of notes and now have plenty of ideas to juggle with! I’m planning to use these for creating some subject-specific tours during the next couple of months, I will keep you posted on this. Once again many thanks for organising such a wonderful trip. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-08 |
|
| Dear Dhipthie
Thank you for taking such good care of our clients. We feel much better knowing that you and the Thompsons team are there, ready to jump into action when and if needed. We are leaving in a week for Germany and then will continue to Southern Africa. We look forward to our three weeks of exploring with our friends and are happy that we are in the capable hands of Thompsons. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-06 |
|
| WOW, what an amazing place. We are in our third day on safari---nothing but great everything. Food is wonderful, our young guide is excellent, accomodations are unique as well as comfortable and the animals have been so cooperative. The game drives have been wonderful. |
| |
ATI |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-03 |
|
| Hello,
Just had a chat with Mr Chapman. Thank you all for making their stay in South Africa so memorable. They had a fantastic time. They praised Thompsons and their guide. And of course they loved their stay at Cape Grace.
Many thanks to you all.
|
| |
ATI |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-09-02 |
|
| Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the lovely trip you organized for my mum and I to South Africa. I have completely fallen in love with South Africa and will definitely be going again!!.
I also want to praise Michael Raa our guide he was AMAZING!!! He is soooooooo knowledgeable and perfect for the job!! He had mum and I laughing (sometimes at my own expense!!
Many thanks again
From a very happy customer |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-30 |
|
| Thanks you for the wonderful trip that you organised for me and wife while we were there in South Africa. All went well. Special thanks to the driver and guide both in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The guide Mr Peter at Cape Town was a fabulous gentleman and is highly recommended to handle our FIT delegates and groups |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-29 |
|
| A quick email to say a very big THANK YOU for the fantastic trip you put together for Michelle and her husband Brian. They had a wonderful time and I am sure you will be hearing from her yourselves. She has come back raving about Africa and the wonderful experiences they had and cannot say enough about the Thompsons guides and staff and how professional and friendly they were. Janine, Michelle also told me about the Buffalo Rock Tented experience and I have to say, I am seeing it in a whole new light. I have always been hesitant about selling this product to Americans and thought they would not go for it, but Michelle has convinced me it was one of the highlights of her trip and that it was really a phenomenal experience, made so by the great guides. Thank you once again and I am so happy we have a new Africa fan. Warmest regards Donna and the client then also emailed: Hi Angela & Janine!Following on from Donna’s email below, thank you so much for putting together such an AMAZING trip! This trip definitely exceeded our expectations and is now in the running as by far the best trip ever! Brian and I have both fallen in love with South Africa, especially Cape Town and have already thought about a possible return down the track! We were both very extremely impressed with all of the Thompson’s guides/transfers throughout the trip although Rufus our guide at Buffalo Rock and Roxy the chef went above and beyond. So friendly and funny, this portion of the trip surprisingly became one of the main highlights minus the shark breach, that was also pretty awesome. J Thanks again to you both! |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-28 |
|
| I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Thompsons for the outstanding service over the past 2 weeks in particular - its easy for everything to be good when things go the way they should. The challenge comes when things go awry and I must say that that challenge was not just met but exceeded all expectations. From having SA flights canx because of mechanicals and crew issues, to a hurricane this weekend, to a client dying in Cape Town during the past week everything was looked after with great care and nothing was too much trouble - despite the fact that most of this happened over the last 2 weekends and late SA time!!
I want to especially say thank you to Karina, Sumendri, Margaret and Amelia without whom we could not have coped the past few weeks - a big thank
you from all of us |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-23 |
|
| We were extremely well looked after by local and airport representatives and received excellent hospitality from the resort staff. THANK YOU. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-21 |
|
| Guests complimented the guides Klaus (Jo-burg to Durban) & Michael Raa (Port Elizabeth to Cape Town) who both were very friendly , accommodating and exceptionally knowledgeable. Guest advised that he will be using Thompsons again to explore some of the other african countries they tour and gave us a score of 10/10. |
| |
UKSGR |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-21 |
|
| I am back to work today, Very busy!! Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the lovely trip you organized for my mum and I to South Africa. I have completely fallen in love with South Africa and will definitely be going again!!.
I also want to praise Michael Raa our guide he was AMAZING!!! He is soooooooo knowledgeable and perfect for the job!! He had mum and I laughing (sometimes at my own expense!!)
From a very happy customer |
| |
Tropical Sky |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-21 |
|
| I want to thank you for the wonderful service we receive while in South Africa. Karina Brand, Deon Romijn, Anton Joubert and the assistances assigned to our group made sure we were well taken care of. Everyday was very well planned and carried out.
It is also important that we let you know we received superior service from Deon Romijn. Deon is an excellent tour guide. He was able to educate us on everything we saw on our Township tour and in Cape Town. He has a wealth of knowledge about South Africa and shared it with our group. It is the consensus of the group that Deon did everything he was trained to do and more. It is our opinion and experience that Deon Romijn is a Special South Africa Tour Guide and a great value to your organization. We can’t thank you enough for having him as one of our tour guides.
We thank you for helping to make our South Africa Journey a dream come true and a lifetime of memories" |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-20 |
|
| Hello ladies! What a wonderful visit we had, many thanks for all your hard work in organising the trip. The title : ‘A World in One Country’ was astonishingly apt, I hadn’t expected South Africa to be quite such a diverse country. We were very impressed by the quality of service throughout. Klaus who took us on the first leg of the journey was quite a character, he made every step of the way into a fascinating story, his enthusiasm seemed boundless! Michael, who picked us up from Port Elizabeth was also excellent, they both offered a professional and flexible approach, their driving – over such long distances – was faultless. All the other guides/drivers were also helpful friendly and informative and we were very struck by the warm smiling welcome we received wherever we went. We had expected to enjoy the safari and the landscapes, they were indeed wonderful experiences, but we were also very struck by the township tours. The Amy Biehl project was particularly fascinating and I very much hope we can try to promote this as part of our tours. I’ve taken hundreds of photographs, completed a whole book of notes and now have plenty of ideas to juggle with! I’m planning to use these for creating some subject-specific tours during the next couple of months, I will keep you posted on this. Once again many thanks for organising such a wonderful trip. |
| |
STG |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-08-16 |
|
| I recently had the pleasure of using Thompson’s Africa tours with a fellow teacher while we were in South Africa last month. After working for a week in an orphanage in Durban, we flew to Cape Town to start our leisure time on the “Simply South Africa 2011” itinerary. My friend and I enjoyed all the services and accommodations Thompson's arranged, especially the PortsWood in Cape Town and the River Lodge at Kapama. We also enjoyed our Thompson’s guides, especially Ibraham and Richard while we were in Cape Town. Thanks also to Leon who helped as a contact while we toured South Africa. We really appreciate your service on our enjoyable tour. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-07-27 |
|
| Guests experienced The Kruger and Kingdoms Tour as excellent and found it to be beautiful and interesting. Complimented Guide Klaus. Special mention was made regarding the following highlights experienced by the Guests: The Kruger Park, The half-day car tour of Durban,The Drakensberg Gardens Resort, The Giants Castle was a gorgeous place, The Thomsons guide, Siboniseni, for the Drakensberg tour, The brief visit into Lesotho, The Sani Pass. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-07-12 |
|
| I recently had the pleasure of using Thompson’s Africa tours with a fellow teacher while we were in South Africa last month. After working for a week in an orphanage in Durban, we flew to Cape Town to start our leisure time on the “Simply South Africa 2011” itinerary. My friend and I enjoyed all the services and accommodations Thompson's arranged, especially the PortsWood in Cape Town and the River Lodge at Kapama. We also enjoyed our Thompson’s guides, especially Ibraham and Richard while we were in Cape Town. Thanks also to Leon who helped as a contact while we toured South Africa. We really appreciate your service on our enjoyable tour. |
| |
Sita |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-07-06 |
|
| Thank you for the well wishes! I have so enjoyed working with you and the rest of the Thompsons Africa team. You really are in a league by yourself and I will miss getting to work so closely with you. Luckily, the new role will still allow me to partner with you, just in a different capacity.
I am hoping one day soon, I will be seeing you in South Africa – it is still my dream trip! |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-06-27 |
|
| First of all, Thank you for putting together such a great trip for us to Botswanna and Zimbabwe. Everything went like clock work and it was really comforting to always have someone waiting for us on arrival. We were talking and could not think of anything we would do differently. Except for a private jet, nothing could have been better.
Bruce and Lucky at Joberg were great. The various services in Zimbabwe were also very nice. Once I stop annoying everyone here at work talking about our trip, I am sure there will be a few who will want your information. I will happily recommend you to anyone.
Thanks for a lifetime memory. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-06-15 |
|
| We returned several weeks ago from the best tour yet. I've almost unpacked. We had a great (and very active) group of 13 people in late April/early May. (11 of the best adults on the face of the planet, with our twin 11 year old girls) To those of you already signed up for this year, your guides, Craig and Jason, make a perfect team. They have refined the level of hospitality to an ideal level. To those on the fence about going, JUMP! As someone who is incredibly cheap about spending, this trip could be double the price, and you will still get your money's worth.
To foodies, you will be in paradise. I gained almost ten pounds.
To history buffs, you cannot find a more open, amazing culture that literally rolls out before you. All you have to do is ask, and the South Africans just open up.
To animal and bird lovers, this really is the Garden of Eden. Our bird and animal sighting list continues to grow as we identify, but we added over 300 to our lifelists.
To those who like an active challenging trip, you will have some great opportunities (and a little time on your own to go to the limit)
To those who like a relaxing quiet event, the Kapama Spa will melt you away. Actually, if I ever get to heaven, I hope it will be Kapama.
To the shopaholic, South Africa puts the Mall of America to shame.
Throughout the trip, you will be pampered beyond belief, by your guides, by the hotels, by everyone. My girls cannot stop talking about everything, and the school system has asked that they give a presentation on the country to the entire middle school system.
Ostriches were great fun (Okay, perhaps it was all the men in our group wearing ostrich feathers that was great fun), but the drive up the garden route, the special pizza lunch and the climbing all over, in and through steam locomotives in the train museum (and swimming in the Indian Ocean within site of the shark diving cages) was unforgettable.
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-06-09 |
|
| I am just returning to the US after a wonderful trip to South Africa and more specifically, the Phinda Rock Lodge. 4 of us were in my party and we spent 4 lovely nights at the Rock Lodge. None of us had ever been to South Africa or on safari before but we had received a glowing review from a friend about Phinda. It was AMAZING! Everything was absolutely wonderful ~ from the incredible game drives where we learned so much from a knowledgeable ranger (Grant) and our soft spoken tracker (Eric) to the staff at the Rock Lodge including Jess, Mr. M and our fabulous chef whose name I cannot recall but whose food we won't forget! The accommodations were so nice and comfortable. Each staff member had this incredible way of making us feel like we were the only guests around. Of course, the stars of the show were the incredible animals! We so appreciated how our ranger taught us so much about the wildlife and that he had an obvious respect for the animals and it being their space. Grant has such a passion for his work and it was apparent during each game drive.
Our trip to Phinda was an experience of a lifetime ~ one we will never forget! We haven't stopped talking about it since my return and I have certainly passed the Phinda reference on to others. We wanted to make sure that you received this feedback because the staff deserve to be recognized for their great work!
We all hope to return someday ~ &beyond would be our first choice for certain!
Sincerely, |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-06-07 |
|
| We arrived home safely last eve, tired but very happy to experience the greatest African Adventure of a life time, thanks to all of you!!
Everything went on schedule, including all flights and transfers. No lost luggage; we were amazed.
To try and put into words the feeling of being so close to the animals is almost impossible. On our first safari I became very emotional as a herd of elephants passed our vehicle. We saw the migration of thousands of animals and had lunch right in the middle of the herds. They watched us very closely.
All the accommodations were first class. The food and service at each destination was impeccable. The African people are truly amazing and taught us much about the habitat of the animals.
We had our first hot air balloon ride in the Serengeti, after which we had a champayne breakfast with several other safari guests. Very great way to start the day!
Jim and I will never forget our African Adventure. The wildlife sightings inspired our deepest emotions.
Again, thanks to all of you for making this dream vacation come true. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-05-30 |
|
| Unfortunately tomorrow is our last day in South Africa. I am most anxious to write and say a big thank you for arranging such a wonderful wonderful holiday. The arrangements were superb. We appreciated your phone calls to see if all was fine - which it was! The accommodation was excellent. The Rovos Rail - well what can I say - excellent, perfect, unbelievable!!! When we get back to England - first job to visit agent in London and tell them- absolutely perfect!! Thank you so so sincerely, your drivers were so helpful- We will never forget Nelson- so helpful and pleasant. Thank you again. My husband thanks you for the birthday cards. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-05-25 |
|
| It was as fine a destination as any other I've been to! or even better"...
We loved the food and wine everywhere - Twelve Apostles and
Londolozi. Thanks for the good work!
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-05-18 |
|
| The group is very happy with the tour, and all arrangement.
They have enjoyed themselves very much. And is very happy especially with Guide – Ali for the excellence services provided.
They have praised Ali for a job well done, and for going out of his way to make sure the group have fun.
Pls thank Ali for a job well done and for the excellent review we get from clients :)" |
| |
|
| |
Singapore |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-05-16 |
|
| Dear Angela, I just wanted to say many thanks for all of the arrangements that you made for me in Durban and then for my trip to Zambia and Botswana afterwards.I had a great trip and it was fantastic to experience some new product and gain a better understanding and appreciation of what is on offer in each place. As well as the outstanding sights and attractions, both Zambia and Botswana have some superb and unique properties.I would just like to add how excellent the Thompsons guides in Zambia were. Thomas and Steven looked after me very well during the 3 days that I spent with them. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-05-16 |
|
| Dear all, I just returned and honestly I wished the days would never end. It was fantastic. Where ever I`ve been everything worked out great, everybody was so kind and the accomodations were all so nice especially in Hwange. Ilala Lodge was good, too, but Davison`s and Makololo are unique places. I wished on my departure day that the Jeep was broken or something else happened that I could stay longer than only for two nights. Thank you soooo much again for organisation and the great opportunity to get to know Hwange and to update my memory of Victoria Falls and Chobe. |
| |
|
| |
Zurich |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-04-28 |
|
| Clients have just got back and they were raving about what a wonderful time they had at Cheetah Plains. They were treated like Royalties. They were celebrating husband's 80th birthday and their 55th anniversary. |
| |
|
| |
Canada |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-04-26 |
|
| Had a spectacular time from start to finish, everything went seamlessly and was of highest quality. Client also complimented Pete, their guide in CPT. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-04-21 |
|
| Thank you for arranging such a fantastic trip! Ivory Lodge is incredible. We would highly recommend this as a honeymoon destination! South Africa greatly exceeded our expectations; the people are wonderful. Crime in the tourist areas has been very much over-stated. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-04-12 |
|
| Fabulous trip. Thompsons went above and beyond the call of duty. Jackalberry Lodge was terrific. Because perhaps this was the slow season, most everything we did was private and Thompsons never failed to provide a guide or transportation just for the two of us. The guide we had in Zimbabwe whose name I could not remember is BRYSON. He was absolutely great and he deserves a very special mention along with SIX at Chobe.
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-03-29 |
|
| We have just returned from our holiday 12.2.11 to 5.3.11 “A World in one country” and then on to Mauritius. We had an amazing time in a wonderful country. We are already saving our UK pounds for another visit to South Africa. It will be very hard to choose which holiday.
A special mention must be made for Sibusiso, our Zulu guide. He was fantastic and saw to everything we required, whether way-side markets from where we bought many gifts for our grandchildren, or the superb mango sellers. Mangoes in UK (from S.America) just don’t taste the same.
Thank you for all the care and attention from Thompsons of SA.
|
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-03-18 |
|
| "Below is the feedback from the clients.
Fabulous trip. Thompsons went above and beyond the call of duty. Jackalberry Lodge was terrific. Because perhaps this was the slow season, most everything we did was private and Thompsons never failed to provide a guide or transportation just for the two of us. The guide we had in Zimbabwe whose name I could not remember is BRYSON. He was absolutely great and he deserves a very special mention along with SIX at Chobe.
Please can you pass this information on to your colleagues in Zimbabwe about Bryson and Six. |
| |
Lion World |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-03-01 |
|
| I want to thank you for all of your wonderful service, follow up and assistance during our magical visit to Africa. Our trip exceeded every expectation we had and all of your upbeat, positive staff helped make that happen. I so appreciate you tracking down my passport at the Peermont and re-delivering it. That could so easily have changed the whole nature of our trip, and instead became a non-issue. What a blessing. I did email Peermont to thank them as well for their honesty and professionalism. You know you have a great hotel when the staff does something like that.
We appreciate all you did and sincerely hope we can come back and have you do it all again!
|
| |
|
| |
Denver |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-28 |
|
| Guest wrote in to say that she had arrived home safe and wanted to thank Thompsons for the excellent organizing of this tour. Everything was perfect and they really enjoyed South Africa. They hope to return one day and of course book book through Thompsons once again.
|
| |
|
| |
France |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-27 |
|
| "DEAR ZANIA / PEGGY !
GOOD MORNING FOR YOU !
WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE TOUR LEADER MS SILVIA AND SHE TOLD US THAT EVERYTING WENT REALLY VERY WELL WITH THE GROUP´S SERVICES. EVERYTHING WAS PROVIDED AS IT WAS PLANNED. THE GROUP INCLUDING MS SILVIA REALLY ENJOY THIS TRIP !!!
SO WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK WITH THIS GROUP, AND ALL THE THOMPSON´S STAFF THAT MADE THIS GRP´S TRIP WENT SO WELL ORGANIZED !!!
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT !!
IT WAS REALLY A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOUUUU
MANY THANKS AND WARM RGDS FOR BUENOS AIRESSSS !!!
"
|
| |
|
| |
Argentina |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-26 |
|
| Dear Angela & Peggy Greetings from Buenos Aires. I am back to my home and the office. I want to express my deep gratitude to you and Thompson Team. All services were perfect, all information and documentation clear and easy to read. I was very surprised with Thompson’s support and services and I am committed to continue cooperating together. I have given instructions Thompson will be our main South African operator.
|
| |
|
| |
Argentina |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-20 |
|
| I am writing this to say a big thank you for our wonderful South African experience. We have completed the first South African Surprise tour for the year and our guide Craig Olivier was fantastic.
There were only nine of us in our group and we all got on very well. Craig was a wonderful guide and was always so polite and helpful. He always went out of his way to make sure we were all content and to him it was paramount that we enjoyed our experience. Each evening he was never far away if any of us had a query or a worry. If it wasn’t for Craig I am sure our experience would not have been as fulfilling.
Thank you for such a great tour and congratulations on such a great guide you have in Craig Olivier he is a credit to your organization. |
| |
|
| |
Australia |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-13 |
|
| Guest wrote to compliment a Brenton Blue guide (Bryan Bredell) who spent time with them from CPT to PLZ. Guest also complimented Thompsons for being such a wonderful company and for making their trip great.
|
| |
Goway |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-13 |
|
| "Well the Henes are home, safe, sound, happy and thrilled with their experiences in South Africa. It appears all went off without a hitch, and I congratulate Jennifer with her outstanding handling of the file, and for Margaret and her team for the very careful implementation of her plans for the Henes family. We have all learned many things with this Safari and, the Thompsons team and I will discuss further how we will Incorporate many of those processes into our other documents.I really appreciate that the guides chosen where perfect for our clients, and I commend them to you all.
Mr. Craig Ziman -Western Cap Tourist Guide Awarded Guide
Mr. Andile Nzuzo - Partner in Inkululeko tours who escorted the Henes through the Cape Town Township
Mr. Joel Tangai -Specialist in Soweto and Johannesburg
We all know from the reports that we’ve received from Margaret, that at every step of the way Thompsons provided excellent service, that meet and greet services went smoothly, and that even Nature cooperated With sightings of whales during their kayaking excursion in the Cape, to a leopard kill in Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. Well done indeed! I think that we all are extremely proud when we have achieved this level of success, and I know that I’m very pleased that we accomplished such a level of excellence at every step along the way."
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-10 |
|
| Agent wrote in to say that this had been a wonderful trip and everything worked out perfectly. The coaches were in excellent condition and drivers on both sectors got on very well with the group. They had huge compliments for the guide (Hans Veil) and they thought the world of him. He is by far one of the very best German guides we have.
|
| |
|
| |
Germany |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-07 |
|
| "Now that we are back in England I feel compelled to drop you a note concerning your Tour Guides in both Durban and Cape Town. Chris Le Roux and his driver Desmond were simply outstanding from the minute they met us at the airport. It was Chris's attention to detail that so impressed me and his constant reminders of the dangers in Durban was an added bonus. Likewise Alan Wright and his driver Abdullah were equally outstanding and changed the itinerary to fit in with the needs of the boys. Alan watched each of the matches avidly and went out of his way to praise and encourage many of the boys. I am sure these acta of kindness are not in his script but were greatly appreciated by us all.
The knowledge of the country shown by both guides was simply outstanding and made each journey special for us all. I would be grateful if you could pass on this e mail to them both as a thank you from us.
Finally, may I thank you for all you did for us, the whole programme ran like clockwork and we did not experience a single problem which is remarkable in this day and age. Your phone calls to check on us was always reassuring and greatly appreciated." |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-01 |
|
| Guest wrote to compliment Thompsons africa on the excellent package that was put together. He also complimented the tour director (Craig Olivier) on his excellent driving skills and indepth knowledge of South Africa. |
| |
Bench International |
| |
Australia |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-02-01 |
|
| Every perfect, exceeded my expectations, Cape Cadegon great choice,ground operators good, trfs, tours and guides exceptional. Loved Jackalberry, and did see the Big 5. Michelangelo beautiful and glad we went to Vic Falls. You were most professional in all communication and thank you
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-01-19 |
|
| Compliments to Guide Thomas Harms - warm hearted and intelligent personality, combined with hig high level of commitment and enormous professional knowldege, made our tour a most memorable experience
|
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-01-18 |
|
| Beautful tour of SA & Swaziland - Ben Lombard the tour manager showed us special place, knew the history, people, animals and plants, very helpful, took good care of us (frm Frits en Pia Bemmel)
|
| |
|
| |
Holland |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2011-01-10 |
|
| Just to let you know that myself and my Niece from USA had a great time on Friday morning when Joel took us on a half day tour through Soweto. He is incredibly knowledgeable and treated us so well. We learned so much !
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-12-31 |
|
| Corinne being very helpful and assistance highly appreciated. |
| |
|
| |
Uganda |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-12-07 |
|
| Entrie group was very impressed with SA, Tours, Tour Guides, Accom and the natural breaktaking beauty of the country - thank you for making it happen - Few guests said this was their best vacation. Sent compliments to Lion Sands (Trevor) and Guide (George) at Vic Falls
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-12-01 |
|
| Loved every moment, Hotels were fantasitc,food great, scenery stunning, animals amazing, already dreaming about coming back, a honeymoon we will never forget
|
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-20 |
|
| "In November last year (from 19.11.2010) I made a trip to SA, provider was Thomas Cook. Name of the tour: Kapstadt erleben und Weinregion geniessen. I was alone on tour (booking stated: 1x) and this was most likely the reason why so many things did not run smooth at the beginning of the tour. The first 3 days were one great muddle and if I hadn’t been pretty independent it would have been a desperate situation.
But I refrained from issuing a complaint after my return as Mrs Ula Groos took care of me and did everything to have me enjoy a wonderful holiday. She called me every evening from Durban at the hotels in CPT and Stellenbosch after she had found out that so much had gone wrong and enquired how I was. This support and care was exceptionally good and went on until my return to Germany. She did really everything possible to give the tour a positive development. (Maybe the beginning was so “chaotic” because Mrs Groos was at the time of my arrival (as she told me later on) hospitalised. Mrs Groos has for example arranged that the guide Fritz Bleibtreu should take me on the transfer to the Wine region and he agreed spontaneously. He was very friendly, professionally extremely competent and as a person simply wonderful.
I think this is worth giving a big thank you and I beg you to forward it to Thompsons and Frau Ula Groos and Herrn Fritz Bleibtreu.
The reason why I decided that I do tell you that now is the fact that whenever I speak about my holiday in the circle of my friends and acquaintances, that I realise again and again what really wonderful services she gave. I think that was far more then the usual amount of devotedness and that Thompsons, as her employer, can call themselves fortunate to have such people on board.
Through this, a trip that did not start enjoyable, turned into a memorable experience.
"
|
| |
|
| |
Germany |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-20 |
|
| Group had a fantastic time. Everything was just perfect - thanks a lot Chantal - look forward to a next group to SA
|
| |
|
| |
Netherlands |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-17 |
|
| Compliment for Ben Lombard - "our guide was the best we ever had - problem solver, full of humour, exceptional man with lots of knowldege"
|
| |
|
| |
Belgium |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-16 |
|
| Claudia and I just got back from our tour to South Africa and I would like to let you know that we enjoyed it greatly. The Safari in Botswana and Victoria Falls tour was just wonderful and everything worked out perfectly.
We ended up still doing a private game drive on Friday late afternoon.
However, the absolute highlight of our tour was by far the two days we had in Cape Town with the guide there, Craig Ziman (CCed above). He was extremely knowledge, very professional, went way beyond what one would expect from a guide, and was an absolute pleasure to be with.
Unfortunately, Claudia and I ended up not having time to thank him for his wonderful service nor to pass our compliments to your tour agency in South Africa. I would appreciate if you would pass our compliments to your agency there for the excellent guide they assigned to us. When we go back to South Africa, you can be sure we will request that Craig be assigned to us again.
|
| |
Mr & Mrs Mattos |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-14 |
|
| For Julandi - thank u for the perfect arrangement - for Kaori, Yuki and Koshin - very good guides
|
| |
|
| |
Japan |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-13 |
|
| We have just returned from our fantastic 30th wedding anniversary 'trip of a lifetime' to South Africa. I want to put on record my thanks to all at Virgin Holidays for what really was a fantastic holiday.
All the transfers (I think they were mostly Thompsons) were punctual and helpful, and talked about where we were passing through, even letting us stop to take photos on the way to the safari lodge. Derek met us at Johannesburg and as we were an hour late arriving from Heathrow, whisked us all the way through to domestic departures and we made the connection, even coming back again to check we were at the right gate. Jock Safari Lodge and the Waterfront Village exceeded all our expectations from the brochure and certainly were 5 star. The escorted trips were wonderful - we had Fizel for Cape Point (sorry can't spell it), 'Super' for Hermanus, Barry for winelands and Gladstone for Walk to Freedom. Each of them were also helpful, punctual, informative, and very knowledgeable - but weren't annoying us with too much information either! I am recovering from a knee operation and they were all very kind helping me on and off the mini-buses/car. We got a very good picture of the history, geography, flora, and human stories on all the trips. I especially need to thank Barry who (as we were the only people on the tour that day) gave us a completely bespoke tour to our needs - taking us via Paarl golf course which my husband loved, and making a dash for Table Mountain at the end of the day because it was sunny and clear. He even waited for us and took us back to the apartment way after the time the tour was supposed to end. 'Super' was extraordinarily kind as I got travel sick on the way to Hermanus and he didn't mind at all, then allowed me to sit in the front seat for more air.
Faziela, it was lovely to have you on the end of the phone line. although there were very few queries to resolve as everything went so smoothly. The restaurant recommendations you made were splendid and I thank you for always coming back to us in a timely and cheerful manner. It was also nice when you just checked how we were doing, when there was no problem - very welcoming and reassuring and shame we never got to meet.
|
| |
Mary and John O'Shea |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-12 |
|
| I received a call this morning from Claudette and she was absolutely delighted with the trip to South Africa.
She was telling me about the guides and how great they were (Ameen and Joanne). They were always there to help them out, they enjoyed talking to them, they went out of their way to take the group to different places (a river in Durban so Claudette could bring water back to a church for baptizing, a market in Cape Town etc). Claudette highly recommended both of the guides.
Claudette was also telling me about the Cape Town hotel being over booked and that they were upgraded to a 5* property, which they absolutely loved! They thought it was a great way to end the trip. They also thought it was very sweet of you to meet them for a drink in Durban, that really stood out for them. Unfortunately they were unable to do Robben Island but they seemed ok with that, as they could see if from Table Mountain and they had great views from the top.
Over all the group loved the trip and there wasn’t a bad thing to say.
I'd like to thank you both for doing such a great job putting together this itinerary and being available to help the group out when needed.
It was a huge success! |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-11 |
|
| For the past eleven years I have been associated with Thompsons Africa, organizing and accompanying Americans on tours to South Africa. I began this association in 1999 when I designed a tour that accommodated eighty-three persons. I accomplished this working with Corporation for Professional Conferences. Soon after, I established my own company, West Whirl, and have since successfully collaborated with Thompsons to provide outstanding South African experiences. In all, I have escorted over 350 persons to your beautiful, exciting country, and in each of my journeys, the participants repeatedly raved about the tour’s extraordinary qualities.
Having recently completed my tenth tour, a delightful excursion to South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Thompsons Associates who have provided great expertise, care, and personality as I facilitated each tour. My success is largely due to the superior assistance I received from Anne Furguson, Tracey Noah and Evelyn Clayton, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work once again with Tracey. These Associates provided me with exceptional support, which in turn, established an invaluable personal connection that has truly enriched my South African experiences. They have most certainly demonstrated the “best of Thompsons” by making it possible for me to expose my fellow Americans to the “best of South Africa!”
I look forward to maintaining a “partnership” between West Whirl and Thompsons Africa that will continue to encourage and promote tourism for South Africa.
|
| |
Judy West - West Whirl |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-10 |
|
| Huge thank you for absolute best trip ever, so well looked after by everyone, given best rooms, best service. |
| |
Tracey Saunders |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-08 |
|
| Just to let you know I had an absolutely wonderful weekend on Safari. The transfers, flights, accommodation, staff and food were all fabulous and to top it off the weather was fab :-) I can’t fault anything. I saw plenty of animals on the game drives and was looked after very well. I just wanted to say a final thank you in arranging for me, it was an experience of a lifetime and I will definitely be recommending to all my friends, family and colleagues. |
| |
Justine Gibbs |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-01 |
|
| Thanks for your assistance with the group that just returned back. They were very happy with their trip and also with the guide Roberto. Thank you for the VIP treatment for Mr and Mrs Olsson, they really appreciated the efforts. Their experience was actually so good that they would like to schedule a new tour for new clients for next year. |
| |
Rese-Konsulterna AB |
| |
Sweden |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-01 |
|
| Belinda from Goway complimented Caroline Pillay as going beyond the call of duty, thanks again for being so awesome, makes us so confident when our clients travel in SA when they get this kind of service.
|
| |
Goway |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-11-01 |
|
| Travelled in SA with Thompsons, it was a fantastic experience, we learnt to know SA in an unbelievable way, we thank our guide Ben Lombard for this.
|
| |
Eli Govaert |
| |
Belgium |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-17 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| I have always wanted an experience of this nature and it has been surpassed in every respect! Great guide - so much knowledge! Great food and great company. A fabulous, fabulous experience. |
| |
Shirley Ward |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-17 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| Fantastic, To wake up to the sounds of the Kruger was the icing on the cake. The facilities retain the character of hte park whilst providing 1st class comfort. Thank you to everyone |
| |
Malcolm & Allison Tate |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-17 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| Wonderful - a moment to take your breath away! Like a 'family' experience. So coming back. Thank you |
| |
Karen Holladay |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-15 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| As if visiting the Kruger wasn't an impressive adventure enough. It's been surpassed by the comfort of the camp, the 1st class!! food and the excellence of our guide and his knowledge. Thank you so much to Roxy and Simon for looking after us so well - we have had the most wonderful experience that words do not do justice. |
| |
Sue and Phil Digby |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-09 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| Awesome - excellent guide, excellent food, excellent company! A truly memorable experience. We are totally in awe of this place/park. Thank you very much |
| |
Rod Fry |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-08 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| Thank you for showing us an amazing time on safari. The game drives, camp, lifestyle and food exceeded our expectations. Would definitely recommend to friends and family |
| |
Belinda and Kathy Bruce |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-10-08 |
Buffalo Rock Tented Camp |
| Thank you for a wonderful honeymoon. We felt here like at friends. The life here in the camp, the game drives and animals are so amazing. Surely we will come back |
| |
Anika and Bernd Tschan |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-29 |
|
| Our trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg we say simply the best! Everything was very well organized and the desciptions were almost very good (in Graskop, the hotel was not on left side but on right) we have found it all very well and could always plan everything well. Special thank you to Mrs Ula Groos who helped us immediately when there was a small problem. We also want to thank Dieter that did the peninsula tour very well and all the many other helpers who made this trip unforgettable for us. We hope we can visit SA again in 2012.
|
| |
Thomas Cook Germany |
| |
Freiberg Germany |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-20 |
|
| First of all I am really sorry for late feedback. We appreciate your hard work and support for Senior Citizen Group. It was pleasure working with Thomson. I wish to thank Tracy as she has worked really hard to confirm all the booking and during the tour she has taken really good care . I have to appreciate her hard work. My guide Ameen and Clive were really good. They were taking really good care of the passengers. Captions were really nice. It was great team effort overall. I must thank all of them. I hope to work with them again. I was amazed to see South Africa. It has great potential as a destination. Flamingo is sending FIT and Group passengers to South Africa. This was our First Escorted Group.
Every year we send more then 7000 passengers out of which South Africa has small portion. Now , Demand for South Afirca is increasing but to close the booking we need strong support from Thomson. Lets have strong association of Flamingo and Thomson and create good awareness about south Africa as a destination. I will mail you detail feedback / changes of the tour as well. |
| |
Flamingo Travels |
| |
India |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-10 |
|
| I just wanted to share with you that Monika was totally happy with her SA trip – so thanks for all your help. She especially praised the guide “Alex” – she sang his praises over and over. |
| |
ATI |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-08 |
|
| Greetings from Brazil. I would like to thank you very much for the opportunity we had to visit South Africa with our best travel agents and for your kind attention during our stay there. We enjoyed so much, and all the group loved South Africa. Besides our South African programs we made an special including the Madikwe River and Madikwe Hills and we are sure that we will have an special collaboration from our clients. In fact, we are already received a require from one travel agent of the famtrip. We will make all our efforts to send more people to South Africa. We are discussing some strategies to promote more some properties here in Brazil, joining efforts, and we will let you know. |
| |
Raidho Tour Operator |
| |
Brazil |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-08 |
|
| Thank you so much for your contribution in organising the driver and transportation and making my India Fam Trip such a success. Everyone had a great time. Thanks Shweta for taking the time to come to Lake Pleasant. It was wonderful to see you and spend some time with you. |
| |
Minaxi Mistry from Mantis, Sales & Marketing - India & UK |
| |
India |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-08 |
|
| Well, I have just received a phone call from my very good client Don Sheppard. He was absolutely gushing about his trip and what a wonderful time he had, once again at Kings Camp. He really is in love with the camp, Warren and family, as well as his guide, tracker and the rest of the staff there. He was very excited to tell me that even one of the Security guards remembered him. He did enjoy Leopard Hills very much and also liked all the staff there, but I think Kings is like his home I am glad we arranged it after Leopard Hills as it is always his highlight. |
| |
Swain Tours |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-05 |
|
| Spoken to the agent re this group, the clients are very happy with all our arrangement and say everything is good. They have a good trip and had enjoyed themselves.
A big thanks for putting all together within the short time frame we had and getting it all in order and smoothly. Pls thank the guides for a job well done... |
| |
Gateway Singapore |
| |
Singapore |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-05 |
|
| I just wanted to drop you a line of thanks. We had a wonderful vacation, the best ever. Everything went like clock-work and we were upgraded again and again. South Africa is a wonderful country, we loved the people, places and more.I have to thank you, we were upgraded to the deluxe on Rovos, which made the trip just that much nicer. You can't say enough about that train ride, I have never been so spoiled...then Nottens, they were wonderful people. Really glad we didn't go with a bigger lodge, as this one was so friendly and so intimate. We got to know folks from all over the world, told stories and saw so many animals. Everything, simply everything was great!!! |
| |
Karpel |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-09-02 |
|
| just wanted to send a letter thanking your whole team for their combined efforts on my recent holiday to South Africa. I had the misfortune of having my purse snatched in Knysna and found myself without a passport. My tour guide Marc Bayman quickly reacted to the situation and made all the arrangements that I needed.He accompanied me to the police station and helped me with my report.He also set in motion a series of land travel arrangements that took me from Cape Town to Pretoria and back in time to fly home.As fantastic as Marc was,I have others to thank as well. Mike from Sheilds tours in Port Elizabeth who took me to the airport and walked me through S.A.Airlines and made sure I got on my plane.Back in Cape Town Wally picked me up at 4:30 am on his day off and took me to Leon(also his day off!)and got me on a flight to Joburg.Once there,Philar drove me to Pretoria to the Canadian Embassy and stayed with me all day from 830 am until he dropped me off at the airport at 5pm to catch my flight.I laughingly said to Philar "you would think I was important" and he replied"you are"".
I also was in contact all day with Sagree Mudaly and she assured me everything would be fine and it was! It is very frightening to be 10,000 miles from home without a passport but the entire Thompson's team did not make me feel alone from the time it happened until I arrived safely back home yesterday.Please pass on my sincere thanks to everyone involved.I will definitely book with Thompsons again and tell everyone I know about your awesome customer service! |
| |
Dallas Lawrence |
| |
Canada |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-29 |
|
| Craig's South African perspective and knowledge brought to our trip an important aspect we never could have added to a trip we planned on our own. We were not just visiting but getting to understand the country of South Africa thanks to him! Leon: Yes, I know he was the coach driver, not a guide, but he added so tremendously to the trip. He added humor, a South African perspective, and became an adoptive grandfather to my daughter (she adopted him).
Our guides were exceptional - they added local perspective and the Disney flair. Dusty made sure everything was spectacular and was ready to take care of any problem that arose. The quality and quantity of the traditional foods was incredible. The accommodations were first class. The experiences were wonderful and the extras were signature Disney. Everything was obviously well thought out - from the order of events to anticipating the needs of the participants.
Our night at the Gold restaurant was magical. The drumming was a highlight, we were thrilled to try all the different foods, and the performance was incredible! Our daughter was chosen to participate with the dancers that evening, making this her `magical` night. Dusty was `magical` with our daughter as well. She was the only junior adventurer. Dusty had a way of making her feel part of the adult group and at the same time helping her enjoy the benefits of being a kid. He was also there for her with anything she needed when she fell ill for a short part of the trip.
Thanks to one and all on your side for this terrific performance! As you can imagine it thrills us to no end when we receive this type of feedback, it's truly exceptional.
All the best from a very hot Los Angeles (43º !!!) |
| |
Adventures By Disney |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-28 |
|
| Thompsons has been Fantastic and have taken good care of her. She only had great things to say about all involved from Sagree, Mark, Leon, etc. She has enjoyed South Africa and would recommend Thompsons to all her friends |
| |
Goway |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-26 |
|
| We went on our outing to Maputo yesterday & enjoyed it tremendously. Felicity(and Musa) did us so well. We would never have seen or learnt so much about Maputo in one day if we had tried to go on our own. She knew all the people & places as well as all the protocols & procedures. We are definitely going to recommend this one day trip to friends who might also not have been there before & only want to go for the day. |
| |
Alister Shaw |
| |
South Africa |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-25 |
|
| Dear Corinne
Clients are very happy of their trip and I would like to thank you.
We are very happy of this good feed back.
It's a pleasure to work with you.
Thanks again.
Have a nice day.
Aurore
VIE SAUVAGE |
| |
VIE SAUVAGE |
| |
France |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-25 |
|
| we wanted to ensure that our Ranger guide called Elvis was praised for his excellent support and time spent with us as a group!!. He is a credit to the Kruger and his knowledge, patience and communication was first class. |
| |
Baxter |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-23 |
|
| The tour was "fantabulous." Everyone is more than pleased. Everything was as ordered. You did a fantastic job!!! Thanks a lot. The Boma dinner was a great ending to a fantastic 2 weeks.
The tour guides were great, especially Clive in Johannesburg. He was very knowledgeable. |
| |
ATI |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-23 |
|
| Just a quick note to let you know that after the miscommunications of the first day, the rest of the trip went off without a hitch.
The Basu's were very impressed with Dian and found him great to be with. Dian was quite flexible and there were a few last minute changes.
Dian just slotted right in.
Please let him know that we were all very happy. |
| |
Dynamic Horizons |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-20 |
|
| Dear Mandla, (Mthembu)
thanks to you this trip is unforgettable for us. You were always there for us and we are very grateful for it. We hope that you will have lots more wonderful trips and that you don't forget us! |
| |
Rote Sonne, Schwarzes Land" from 4 to 17 August 2010 |
| |
Germany |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-16 |
|
| I spoke to Mr and Mrs Joyce in great detail upon their return from South Africa and to sum it up the trip was "abolsutely fantastic"! Everything ran seamlessly for them, thanks to all your hard work! They saw the "big five"
at Leopard Hills and couldn't say enough good things about their experience there. One and Only Capetown and all the touring while there was fantastic.
Special thanks and "cudos" go to their Capetown tour guide who they had every day(Mark Bayman). They found him to be most interesting and accommodating! |
| |
Mr and Mrs Joyce |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-16 |
|
| Just wanted to thank you again on behalf of all the doctors who travelled to Johannesburg…everything was great as they said...the restaurants were nice, buses on time, hotel clean and good….and specially Thompsons was great as they said |
| |
Infofly for Travel & Tourism |
| |
Lebanon |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-16 |
|
| I just spoke with Susan Ragland, the agent who booked the 6 ladies. They returned raving about their trip! They had the most marvelous time at all the properties. Susan said the ladies absolutely loved their guide in JNB, Joel. They said he was outstanding.
Please can you thank everyone who took great care of them and also thanks Judy for your great work on the file |
| |
Swain Tours |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-14 |
|
| My apologies that this email has taken so long to be sent to you, but I'd really like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the chance to visit Maropeng last Friday. I thought the tour of Maropeng and the caves was extremely interesting, and of course visiting the Lion Park is always great!
I'd like to also mention that our guide Linda was great. He is an extremely well spoken and intellegent young man, with a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of topics. He kept us engaged and entertained the entire day.
I would appreciate it if you could also pass on to the management of the Sterkfontein Caves my appreciation of the calibre of guiding that we received from our guide Adelaide. A place such as those caves, could easily be a bit 'boring' and uninteresting but she kept an entire group made up of college students and ourselves engaged and interested throughout the tour. It was an interesting and enlightening experience throughout! |
| |
Lindsay Ransom |
| |
South Africa |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-14 |
|
| Guest wrote in to say thanks for a wonderful trip to South Africa and how great the guide (Ben Lombard) was. They learnt a lot about South Africa and will never forget this tour. |
| |
Thomas Cook Belgium |
| |
Belgium |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-12 |
|
| I just spoke with Susan Ragland, the agent who booked the 6 ladies. They returned raving about their trip! They had the most marvelous time at all the properties. Susan said the ladies absolutely loved their guide in JNB, Joel. They said he was outstanding.
Please can you thank everyone who took great care of them and also thanks Judy for your great work on the file |
| |
Anne Ferguson |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-01 |
|
| "And thank you so much for this trip, we had the BEST TIME EVER. Both Barb and I said this was our BEST VACATION. Plus we make some good friends too....Thanks again..." |
| |
Costco Group - LWT |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-08-01 |
|
| My name is Evelyn Wylie.I visited South Africa with a group through Travel Partners in September 2010.One part of our journey included Johannesburg and Soweto. This part of the adventure was enhanced by the leadership of our guide Joel Tangai. He took great care in tailoring our adventure to what we wanted. He listened to each member of the group and allowed us to have specific personal experiences. He was extremely knowledgeable in the language, history,and habits of the area and the people. He showed us various parts of the country and gave us information that impacted on our own knowledge of history. He demonstrated the high quality of client care that we were expecting. He is a valuable member of your team! Thanks to your company and especially to Joel for an unforgettable adventure!! |
| |
Evelyn Wylie |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-28 |
|
| I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for Mr. Ben Lombard who was our guide during the South Africa trip in April. I have traveled quite a lot, but never have I met a fabulous guide like Ben, great personality with an even greater sense of humour, service minded and very professional. |
| |
Sabine Coens |
| |
Belgium |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-23 |
|
| lease Thank Reda and the whole team in going the extra mile in looking after our guests. The Thompson team has indeed shown exceptional customer service & making sure our clients are having a wonderful holiday throughout the tour. |
| |
Emirates Holidays |
| |
Dubai |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-19 |
|
| Margaret Janssen took excellent care of the KRSA.NL operation during inspection visits, behind the scenes preparations prior to the event and on-site assistance during the events. Margaret took very good care of us and made herself available to us 24/7. We recommend Margaret for future events and look forward to working with her again in the future |
| |
Kras |
| |
Netherlands |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-16 |
|
| I just wanted to say thank you for everything you and your team did for me, it really did make our trip most memorable. Hope we weren't too demanding but your help, expertise and speedy response made life a lot easier! A big thank you for the room at the Pretoria Capital, it was a very nice thoughtful gesture and one that we are very grateful for. |
| |
Bhavneeta Patel |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-15 |
|
| Thanks very much for your efforts, everything that was organized went according to plan, especially the travel arrangements, and everyone from Thompsons were very versatile and curteous.
Logistics was perfect, everything to do with the flights and transfers to from airports was great. Also we were allowed to make some changes to the pick up and drop off points and times as needed. On a couple of days we arranged are own transport: once for a full day through a contact at Thompsons (a friend of a representative); and on the other day we took three separate taxis. In each of these cases we had no problems.
One exception to the easy transport rule was in Nelspruit, here it was very difficult to get transport back home. Although this was possible after some delay, apparently a taxi driver only existed because of the world cup. The lodge owner said that to be a tourist it was absolutely essential to rent a car.
I really liked the Jackalberry lodge and Clarendon guest house. The Mannah guest house was also nice, but the food was quite poor, and it was a bit remote from any places of interest. Also as a group of four we were advised to receive a lift (we were charged per person for this) to the airport and then take a train in order to get to Santin. As it turned out it would have been much cheaper and quicker to take a taxi directly.
The safari was really nice. My strong preference was for the guide on the second day - on the first day we had some rare citings like cheetah, but spent a lot of the afternoon unoccupied. The guide on the second day seemed much more informed, and worked hard right to the end of the tour.
I really liked visiting Durban seaboard. This place gave the impression of a nice sea front city in the West - like Santa Monica or Honolulu. In Johannesburg we spent some enjoyable time at the Apartheid museum, the origins of man caves. Off the beaten track we went to Newtown (nice in daytime) and Melville one evening, which we both interesting. We stopped by Mandela's house i Santin was a little boring.
As a final comment, people in South Africa were very friendly, but quite ill informed. They weren't very good at giving directions, and in many cases were quite ignorant of tourist attractions/locations/hotels within their own cities -even (or especially!) the taxi drivers. I certainly think outside of the world cup scenario it would be much better to rent a car, except possibly in the Durban area. |
| |
The Raymond Group |
| |
Canada |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-12 |
|
| A big thank you for all your help on this trip. It was fantastic to have a person that we could call to make changes, or help us when things didn't go to plan. It is a luxury for a company to offer this service - but we loved it and think you were terrific!! |
| |
Beard Passengers |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-07-12 |
|
| Just thought I should let you know that the arrangements you made for us, both in Vic Falls and for the safari, were great. We were especially pleased with the Kapama Karula resort in Greater Kruger. The facilities were exceptional, the staff wonderful and the safari great. We would recommend it highly for future travellers |
| |
Cantin and Beatty |
| |
Canada |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-06-30 |
|
| Every "meet and greet" and every driver was there, on time, helpful and courteous. Hotels were good particularly the Protea North Wharf at the Cape. At the Cape, our driver for the Winelands, Alex, was absolutely fantastic. He was a great conversationalist and extremely informative and easy to relate to. I can’t say enough about Sabi Sabi. Delightful staff, unbelievable sightings and a great Afrikaner guide named Arthur. Former professionnal Rugby player. Salomon was our tracker and they spoke together in the native language. They showed us how to interpret the tracks and notice the signs of animal movement |
| |
Swain Tours |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-06-18 |
|
| On a 1-10 service & professionalism level, you are a 15 |
| |
Goway |
| |
Canada |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-06-14 |
|
| Thank you for delivering Rock Star services. |
| |
Virgin Holidays |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-06-10 |
Thompsons Customer Call Centre |
| Impressed by Thomas's service excellence and wanted to highlight that he was polite, friendly and efficient. |
| |
Shuttle Tours |
| |
Zimbabwe |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-06-09 |
|
| Dear Thuli, thank you for organising such a great holiday for us.We have been on holidays in the past that were good but we cannot remember one that was better then this one.Everything went smoothly, all the hotels were perfect, as for Sabi Sabi "what can I say absolutely brilliant - a magic spot". We hope that this book gives you a taste of Australia and hope that one day you visit our part of the world. Again, thank you. Regards Les and Jenny Cox |
| |
Mr and Mrs Cox |
| |
Australia |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-06-08 |
|
| Thank you very much for your super assistant. Again, Julandi, thank you very very much for your assistance to all Japanese. We do greatly appreciate that. |
| |
Kayoko Hirokawa |
| |
Japan |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-05-20 |
|
| Oh my God Cheryl I’d need a week to tell you just about the highlights. We did create a travel blog if you’re interested in the many details. I’m sending you the link. Lots of great pictures. We’d have to rate this trip a tie for our best trip ever along with Australia. It far surpassed my expectations. Lion Sands was over the top!! Cape Town was our favorite city. The country is amazing and so ready for the world stage during the Cup next month. We did see all of the big 5 and can’t wait to go again. We will definitely go back to Africa. We’d like to see Victoria Falls, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Okavango Delta, Livingstone and on and on. Maybe Tanzania and Kenya. I’m very excited about our trip as you can tell. Unfortunately not enough time off or money to do another African trip soon but we will go again for sure. |
| |
Scoggins |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-05-13 |
|
| Dear Briarley, Margaret, Angela, I am finally back at the office working normally again. I would like to thank you for organizing a wonderfull trip for me and Natasha to SA. I really apriciate it. We had a wonderfull time and hope we can come back some time in the future. |
| |
Jure Uranjek |
| |
Slovenia |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-30 |
3 Countries tour |
| Hi Matthew, My name is John Howe and I recently did the Wave's and Wildlife tour with your company. I just wanted to pass along what a great time we had. This is greatly due to our tour guide Felicity. Usually I don't write compliments about guides but she definitely went above and beyond the call of duty on this trip. On our tour we had an 87 year old woman who was in a wheelchair most of the time. Felicity did basically anything the woman needed to have an enjoyable trip. She was knowledgeable and ensured that we had a good time the entire time. You are extremely lucky to have an employee like her. |
| |
John Howe |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-28 |
Thank you |
| Hello Thuli
We arrived back into OZ this evening and just wanted to thank you for one of the best holidays we have ever enjoyed
Sabi Sabi was amazing – saw everything – even some Lion Cubs – unbelievable really
We cannot thank you enough for all your great advice and help along the way
If ever you get to OZ I will be very happy to help you in any way I can
Thanks again – it was a magic experience |
| |
Les Cox - AAT Kings |
| |
Australia |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-18 |
Peninsula Tour |
| Hi there! This is a quick note to let you know how very impressed I was with the Peninsula tour I had on 11th April with your tour guide Craig. He was very affable, knowledgeable, informative, courteous and had a wonderful sense of humor which made it a worthwhile trip. He went out his way to help organize another tour with your company. I am sure everyone felt very special as he remembered everyone by name. I would also like to add that the drivers who helped with the airport transfers were also very helpful. No doubt that I will choose Thompsons for my future trips as I enjoy traveling to different countries. Best regards |
| |
Kathy (Kathryn Sami) |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-13 |
Adventures by Disney |
| The celebrations that the guides arranged of our children's birthdays, referred to above, were the biggest `magical` moments for us. When someone goes way out of their way for your child, you cant help but be moved and grateful. Tina and Craig were great at paying special attention to the kids and making them feel important.
My 9 year old daughter cried for 5 hours straight after saying good-bye to Tina Hyatt. Her favorite activity, of all of the things we did in South Africa, was playing ping pong with guides Tina and Craig Ziman on their Junior Adventurer night out in George. They topped it all. Craig was particularly good with our son, who is precocious and academic, and liked to have long factual discussions and debates with our local expert guide. Both guides were fabulous.
People who can afford the cost of an Adventure by Disney typically expect a lot and there is no question that we were given a lot. We had amazing personal assistance throughout, and unbelievably unique experiences that only a company like Disney can provide. The `Power of the Mouse` was evident throughout our trip. We had access to things that were closed to the public. We had activities that were once in a lifetime.
The personal touches were the best. Both of our kids had their birthdays during our trip, and the guides made a big deal out of their special days with birthday pins, birthday cakes, performers singing happy birthday, and small gifts (e.g., a hot chocolate to take on a morning game drive). We wont be able to top that in the future. We also loved the personalized photo postcards that we were given, the snacks and water that were always offered by the guides, and the way the guides interacted with our kids. |
| |
Bruce Austin |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-09 |
Remarkable Thompsons Ambassador |
| The owner of CK Tours & Travel (a local coach charter company), spent a few days at Sun City. He was booked on a transfer back to ORTIA and happened to travel with Joel this morning (10h00 NTY to ORTIA 09/04/2010).
The passengers called me twice to tell me how wonderful Joel was. He complimented Joel on his attitude, his safety brief and his consideration towards the children in their group. He also noted that Joel was an extremely safe driver and they enjoyed the tour commentary that he provided along the way since they expected a 2 hour boring transfer.
I think that this is very good compliment coming from somebody in the travel industry. Please thank pass this on to Joel and together with our thanks for being a Remarkable Thompsons Ambassador. |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-07 |
Cape Town, Route 62 & Zambia |
| I refer to our recent holiday with Virgin Holidays to South Africa/Zambia and wish to convey to you our thanks for an excellent and very well organised trip. Our flights and hotels were top class and all arrangements carried out with courtesy by your staff...This letter is sent just to inform you of firstly, how we enjoyed our holiday and would certainly book with Virgin Holidays again..." |
| |
Mr. & Mrs. Bullock |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-06 |
Recent trip to South Africa and review of services |
| Hello!
I just returned home from an amazing vacation to South Africa. I really wanted to contact you about one of the drivers we encountered.
On April 2nd we were transferred from Bakubung to Johannesburg airport by a driver named December. He was the absolute highlight of my trip! And that is saying a lot with all the fabulous sights and adventures we had. His demeanor is absolutely your companies highest asset. If I were to ever visit South Africa again, which I am hoping to, I would insist on having December along the entire way.
Much thanks!
Please forward him the attached pictures.
Sincerely
|
| |
Andi Burdick |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-04-02 |
Thank you very much from the Chapmans |
| Dear Leon
Thank you very much for taking the trouble to come down and see us yesterday, it was very kind of you.
Thank you as well for all the time you have spent in emails and arrangements for our tour.
Thank you for the lovely souvenirs you gave us, we really appreciated that, and I wore the Thompsons cap with pride as we continued on our journey.
Lastly, and by no means least, our thanks to Thabo who gave us a most memorable and interesting tour, we are full of praise for all his abilities. This lovely gentleman is a treasure chest of knowledge and probably one of the most passionate South Africans we have met during our many tours to your country. He treated us with such courtesy and patience (even when he had to carry my wheelchair up flights of stairs). I cannot thank him enough for creating such a memorable tour in Durban. He is a great asset to your company and your country. Please pass on our compliments over to him.
Our very best wishes to you all and we will contact you next time we come to your wonderful country. I will drop you an email once I am sure of the dates. Please be so kind as to secure Thabo as our guide on those dates.
With all good wishes |
| |
Trevor & Peta Chapman |
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-03-29 |
This is a message for JOEL (guide) dear Joel |
| We'are looking back with pleasure and respect to our first day (6 february) in Jo-burg with you as our sympathtic guide. Your involvement with history, culture and people did touch us and made us better understand your beautifull country. Thanks for thet and hope we'll meet again. I like to send you some photo's but don't know how. Can you send me your emailadress? all kind regards |
| |
Liesbeth en Ton |
| |
Netherlands |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-03-23 |
Maputo Trip |
| Hi Corinna
Apologise for only getting back to you a week after out trip.
We had a magnificent trip and on behalf of our entire group of 14 folk, a huge thank you to all of you at Thompsons. We have super photo’s for our Mondi Newsletter.
My ladies would also like to thank Felicity, she was excellent, very helpful and very much on the ball!!!! |
| |
Colleen van Zijl |
| |
South Africa |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-03-23 |
Enjoy Cape Town and South Africa |
| The Safari was great. The accommodations were very nice. The people from Thompsons have been brilliant from the meet and greet right up through our tou today. We had our own guide for the winelands. We visited 5 vineyards in one day after the morning game drive.
I could not be happier. Please help us express our delight to Thompsons especially for our tour guide Mark. He was extremely knowledgeable and down to Earth. It was like touring SA with a very close friend who was eager to show you his homeland. |
| |
Tom Hack |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-03-10 |
Thank You again Ula |
| After returning home safely we want to thank you again Ula, for all you did for us especially in the organising of our arrival and departure for Cape Town. Both out guides, Axel Mueller and Fritz Bleibtreu, were outstanding guides and showed us with lots of professional knowledge so many of the beautiful sight en route through your beautiful country. We wish you furthermore all the best, especially health and enjoyment with your tours even in “adventurous situations” like ours. PS: Comment to your management: This lady is a professional, especially in solving a difficult problem like our delay of flight from Frankfurt. She has managed wonderfully. Staff of this ability, including your guides, are the pride of your company. |
| |
Deepest greeting from the Kaysers |
| |
Denmark |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-03-04 |
Thank you |
| We really appreciate everyone's assistance with this client...Thompsons staff have gone above and beyond on this one! |
| |
Anne Bellamy |
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-03-01 |
Thank you |
| Thompson's tour company was excellent.The guides/drivers were terrific.Aasiya's follow-ups were excellent. |
| |
Ganatra |
| |
Kenya |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-02-22 |
Sincere Thanks to Kaori who assisted me while standed in South Africa. |
| I wish to express my sincere thanks to one of your staff by name Kaori who assisted me while I was stranded in OR Tambo airport on 22/03/2010. I was visiting S.A. for the first time and there was no one to pick me from the airport. She called my hotel (Holiday Inn Express - woodmead) for pick up and also stood with me until I was picked. She was very kind to me and words cannot express how i appreciated her help. Thompsons, you have an excellent staff and very kind hearted lady who potrayed excellent and outstanding customer service. Pass my regards to Kaori. |
| |
|
| |
Kenya |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-02-09 |
Most wonderful trip to Maputu |
| On Tuesday, 9 February, my wife Sandra and I had a most wonderful trip to
Maputu with you and Thompson Tours.
What made the trip so enjoyable, was your enthusiasm and knowledge of the
political background of the Civil War and your knowledge of the people and
the town of Maputu.
The respect and love of the local people was reflected in the way you got us
through Customs and the way you greeted people in the market place.
We so appreciated the way you gave us time to shop, and walk along the
beautiful boulevards of old time Maputu.
Your generosity and care you gave to the young children by giving bread and
money to them, was most appreciated.
Once again, thank you and I hope that many tourists will be given the same
treat that you have us, for many years to come.
|
| |
MICHAEL ANTROBUS |
| |
Craddock |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-02-03 |
3 country tour |
| We would like to express our deep and sincere thanks for everybody at Thompsons touring & safaris, who welcomed us to South Africa. We found the 3 country tour especially very interesting and hotels very comfortable, providing good service and food.
We also would like to especially compliment Felicity. She was very professional, cheerful, very knowledgeable, polite, punctual, pationate and had a wonderful sense of humor. She helped us with all our questions and made the trip very comfortable and memorable... We enjoyed her excellent service which was above and beyond her call of duty. She always went out of her way to teach us about Africa and in a particular her country SA with much pride.
All your tour guides were professional and knowledgeable, but Felicity will always stand out as the very best tour guide we had. The friendliness and hospitality of Felicity as a citizen of South African will stay in our heart. We will certainly recommend a visit to South Africa to our friends and family members.
May we please ask you to forward the message to Felicity as token of our appreciation for her hard work.
Looking forward to visiting your country again. We wish you a happy year 2010 with peace, prosperity and successful business.
Best regards,
Moe & Deb Haghshenas
|
| |
Moe & Deb Haghshenas |
| |
USA-Michigan |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-01-12 |
Impressed with the service |
| I've been quite impressed with the level of service that you & your colleagues at Thompsons have given to us, just with this small booking - reserving, changing, refunding ... You most certainly can look forward to more bookings in the future. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2010-01-04 |
Incredible Africa Trip |
| I just wanted to thank you for putting together an incredible Africa trip. After the initial mix up with the vouchers and transport at Cape Town, every single aspect of the trip was perfect - every transfer, every hotel, and all excursions. I could not have organized such a trip on my own. Thanks! |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2009-12-14 |
A+ for the Trip |
| The Thompsons people (who were the ones who met us and worked with us during our stay) were superb! I know that California would want to know this. The "point person" at Thompsons (the consultant) was the best. She was always accessible and made everything happen according to plan. She really does need some real recognition from either Thompsons or yourselves. I am sure that she will remember us as well. As you well know when you are so far away from home it sure is nice to have someone that "cares"! Anyway A+ for the trip. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2009-11-30 |
Arrangements were perfect |
| The arrangements that you had made for us, were perfect in all ways, especially with attention to ourselves. The guides we had in Zambia, Botswana and Cape Town could not have been better. We would certainly recommend your organisation to anyone contemplating a trip to SA. |
| |
|
| |
UK |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2009-10-23 |
South Africa was wonderful |
| The trip to South Africa was wonderful! I enjoyed it very much and cannot sing enough praises of Thompsons Travel. They were outstanding where service and efficiency was concerned. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2009-10-04 |
Booking Jam packed with Activities |
| Once again, I REALLY appreciate your great help with everything involved on this booking! (This was a booking jam packed with loads of adventure activities!) |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2009-09-22 |
My Client raved about the trip |
| I just wanted to let you know that my client called me this morning and raved about the trip. She said that Thompsons, The Saxon and Royal Malewane were fantastic! She said that everything was perfect and her husband who wasn't too keen on going to Africa is now planning their next trip. Please can you thank all concerned for taking such great care of my clients and a special thank you for keeping an eye on everything in the beginning to ensure they arrived safe and were taken care of. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
2009-09-18 |
Fantastic |
| Wow! Does this look good!!!!!!! Fantastic! My clients are going to be so impressed, and so am I. Thank You for the very jazzed up cover page and itinerary for the Brooks party. |
| |
|
| |
USA |
| |
|
| |
Date of Travel: |
0000-00-00 |
|
| Everything has been well arranged. Today we have received a new, correct invoice of Europcar.
I have told you before, but I would like to tell you once again that we were very satisfied about you and your company Thompson.
We had a wonderfull holiday!
Thank you, with kind regards,
|
| |
Sonja |
| |
Netherlands |
| |
|
