Testimonials

Some of the many comments received from our previous tour guests...

Ecuador - it was a wonderful tour!! We thought it was a great privilege to go behind the scenes with the three growers. They were all such fine human beings, and, apparently, are doing business the way it should be done.
We did love what we did do while in Ecuador and are grateful for the wonderful experiences we had. Many, many thanks.
Great opportunities to take lots of photos. Guides and hosts very accommodating to those of us wanting to capture the experience on film or digital camera.
Very good concern for participant enjoyment from the tour leaders while in Ecuador (rubber boots, sunscreen, insect repellent, water, bartering customs, what not to eat or drink, sharing bios before we arrived, etc.)
Thanks to our Quayaquil local guide for his interest in birds and enthusiasm for sharing this information
The generosity shown by Hans Peter in opening up his house, serving us breakfast, letting us tour his garden (and cave) and taking a full day to show us his BellaFlora operation.
Ecuadorian food- loved the 5 star restaurant meals!
Loved the mixture of artisan, cultural, historic, religious and horticulture. A great mix of diverse sights to see in Ecuador
Wonderful to see the smaller villages and experience their traditional handicrafts. Lots of shopping opportunities too. Although I would have like a few more minutes in some destinations, but my wallet would have suffered more. It was a nice surprise to find more shops at the Quito airport to get more last, last minute scarves.
I thought the trip to China was fantastic!
The arrangements in China were well done, enjoyed the different meals and particularly the dim sum, the Silk factory and Jade factory.
It's hard to pick a highlight as so many to choose from. For me, probably the great wall - especially with the spring flowering trees all around the site. A nice plus. Garden wise, the Peony Festival was wonderful.
I really enjoyed the tour. Will look forward to hearing what you are organizing in the future.
Every day was a highlight! There were so many "wow" moments; like seeing the wall in the distance -- absolutely phenomenal and amazing and of course actually walking in the same footsteps on the wall as millions before have done. "wow" ditto for the Terra Cotta Warriors, Shanghai Pudong skyline, the amount and size of building construction, the number and size of the Buddha temples and pagodas (very surprising for us), the grottos, etc. After the hectic days, I really enjoyed the tranquility of the 'sacred walk' of the Ming Tombs. Even though some of the temple/pagoda sights were crowded, I never got 'templed out'.
The GARDENS of China - What an inspiration! When you consider the dense population of China, what a retreat and sanctuary these gardens would be for the people, of course, mostly the rich people. The Botanical gardens were beautiful and would be well used by the common people these days. I never tired of our visits to the gardens - they were all different. The peony show was certainly a highlight and has inspired me to grow more peonies.
We found the arts and crafts factory demonstrations and tours very interesting and made the shopping experience so much more informed. Too bad the silk factory tour was so short! Tea Plantation was great.
The food was a banquet three times a day. Every day was different and delicious.
The Tang Dynasty show was excellent, as was the Shanghai Acrobatic show.
The train trip was a nice experience, as was the canal boat ride in Suzhou, and the lake cruises were also pleasant. We enjoyed our bus rides as we were able to see the countryside and the local people.
It was a trip of a lifetime. We saw a lot of world heritage sights, historical and modern China. We were inspired and encouraged by the magnitude of the Buddhist presence, the beautiful and peaceful gardens, scenery and cleanliness of the country, and felt very safe and welcome by the people of China. I certainly have much more respect and empathy for the hard life the people have had.
It couldn't have happened without you Donna, Coco, our excellent local tour and bus guides, and of course Ricky Poon. . . . . . thank you very much. I would definitely recommend China travel to others, and would love to go again, perhaps to the southern areas.
Your tour to China was very well done and I know we got to see a lot more than anyone. I also know that if you gave the tour, the accommodation and the food would be good as you did such a great job on my Chelsea tour. The train ride was great, surprisingly went by very quickly. Doing Thai Chi with the locals and the group was fun. We had a great group for chatting, very lucky that way. The evening Tang Dynasty show and dumpling supper was the best.
I really liked dealing with Ricky, he was very prompt in answering all my questions. All the tour guides were great. Thanks again for a great tour!
There was so much it is hard to "highlight". I enjoyed the food, even though I was expecting not to. The restaurants were well chosen. The dumpling dinner and show for Dorothy's birthday, Suzhou with its tree lined streets and canals and garden, and Shanghai museum are other highlights.
For me the terra cotta warriors were the most interesting and not just because we had an amusing photo-op! I thought the arrangements in China were very well done with unexpected snags dealt with quickly. Friends have asked whether we would go to China again. Without hesitation, we say that we certainly would. We thought that the language barrier would inhibit meeting Chinese people but this was not the case. We found them friendly and eager to meet us and have photos of their kids and families. China is at the same time historically stunning and dynamically modern. It would take a lifetime to explore it in detail and by that time, it would likely have changed beyond recognition. We saw what we expected to see and a whole lot more. Having gardens as a principal focus was a great idea. There are simply too many diversions possible unless there is a meaningful focus such as we had on this tour. Overall value for time/money.... excellent. I enjoyed the cultural aspects (temples, tea plantation, crafts shops etc) as it helped me understand the gardens, why things are the way they are.
I appreciated being paired up with an excellent roommate. I appreciated the optional evenings as I was able to pick and choose, depending on how I felt at the time.
Coco was excellent, and the great local guides added specific knowledge. The drivers were impressive (!!!!)
I have a new found respect and admiration for your capacity to travel so often as I must say the ``airport`` experience left me more tired than all the walking we did on our garden tours. I thought about our vacation in Florence and Nice and thought I should express my appreciation for all of the wonderful places we were able to see and the great guides you arranged for.
Both Stephanie and Ria (I think this was her name) were great and gave lots of good background information which helped me understand and appreciate more of what we were seeing.
The hotel in Nice was fabulous! What a thrill to be on the Mediterranean and certainly the service and attention to details was superb!
I enjoyed the gardens at Eze and Menton, the most. The Boboli was fine, the view from the top terrace was lovely - Florence is such a beautiful city. Our suppers together were the best I have ever had on a tour. You really did a great job of making the meals a great experience, both from the food and the seating arrangements so we could ``visit`` each other.
The size of the group made it easier to get to chat and get acquainted. I personally like smaller groups as there is less chance of having to wait while you `find the rest of the group who have not yet made it to the bus or whatever.
Just wanted to let you know that Julie and I had a great time and really enjoyed our Mom/Daughter time together. The tour was really stress-free as all arrangements were taken care of, most meals provided and the pace was not too hectic! Believe me, my work life is so crazy that despite our daily outings, I came home feeling refreshed and relaxed. I certainly look forward to joining you again soon. Thanks for a lovely tour and keep up the great job!
It was a great garden tour and I am enjoying my pictures. I know this is you by your new Italian bag!
Hi Donna, just a little note to let you know Cobie and I are back home. We had a good time in Rome, but it felt kind of lonely without the group. We had a very good time in Nice and Florence, Loved the garden in Eze, Villa Rothchild and the private garden of William Waterfield..
I thought the trip was just wonderful--I thoroughly enjoyed each and every day--the variety, the various climatic conditions the area enjoys, the variety of landscapes, towns and cities, and I was prepared from your emails for the change between Nice and Florence--I am not sure the whole group picked up on that one..I think some folks were expecting a lot more English color...I was not and thus held no such expectations. I truly think you go the second mile in organization, communication, and many other things! Many,many thanks.
Hi Donna, sorry I have not been in touch sooner, did want you to know how much I enjoyed our wonderful trip. Thank you so much for all your planning and organization which made the tour work so well, thank you too for all those extra little gifts and attention to detail. Thanks again for everything...............have been reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" while recuperating and relieving many of the memories.
I thought the choice of hotel in Nice was great - superb location, nice accomodations and excellent food. I enjoyed seeing the coast along the Cote d'Azur, most of the gardens and Eze.
I think those of us who pay attention to our driving appreciated that extra sense of comfort one gets when riding with someone you recognize to be a safe, cautious and courteous driver.
Would I go on another Donna Dawson Extravaganza ? In a heartbeat. I felt the time we were allotted at each garden was perfect (though I personally would have liked more time at Kew) , and I thought the garden selection could not have been better.
Chelsea is in a class by itself. You have to see it to believe it. Your advice to get there early was the only way to go.
The garden tour was everything we expected and more. It was so well organized and we had an opportunity to see so many beautiful gardens. The Chelsea Garden Show was a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for all that you did to create a wonderful experience for us all.
Donna, you do a topnotch job...the guides were good and Tony was just wonderful...and then it was up to the rest of us to be interested and to get along...which we did!
I can't stop thinking about the garden tour and how wonderful it was in spite of the weather! Christine and I both felt that we should have added two days at the end as well as the two days we added at the very beginning, but, no doubt, we'd still have wanted more time!
You have a nice, easy going presence that makes you ideal for what you do.
I really loved it.....every bit of it. It just filled me up!
Everything was perfect! Thanks Donna - Excellent job!
Thank you so much! All the personal touches and gifts were so appreciated.
I loved the garden in Eze, Villa Rothschild and the private garden of William Waterfield
We totally enjoyed ourselves on this tour and will look for opportunities to join you again
I truly think you go the second mile in organization, communication, and gift giving! Many, many thanks
We enjoyed each and every garden, they were all unique in their own way, not always to my taste and my lack of knowledge but always informative and a great display of different influences, designs and teaching methods.
Thank you so much for all your planning and organization which made the tour work so well, thank you too for all those extra little gifts and attention to detail
I really enjoyed meeting you, and the group itself was a pleasure. I especially enjoyed getting to know Jan so thanks to you for finding me a room-mate
As to our trip-fabulous, as to your leadership and organization-fabulous. We had a ball and even Michael, who is not a gardener, was inspired to be thinking up new landscaping ideas.
Villa Ephrussi - both the villa and the gardens are a dream--we have never seen anything like them, and over the years we have seen a lot of gardens. We could return tomorrow, the aliveness of both gardens and design was exquisite. It really did feel like Paradise-and it smelled so good
The trip could not have been better. We do look forward to being with you again.
As Sherry told you earlier--we had a wonderful time on our France/Italy garden trip. In particular, the group was great fun--you Canadians are so witty and charming. Furthermore, the gardens were both interesting and beautiful.
Donna, thank you so much for all of your organizing, gifts, hints, tips, fun, laughter, stories, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can safely say my mother did too. Absolutely topnotch, exceeded my expectations
Beautifully balanced between gardens and London
Each day got better but all days were wonderful!
Well organized and most enjoyable
Excellent in all respects
I really had only the expectation of seeing flowers, so everything else was a bonus!
Hilda gave me a new appreciation of all things English - she's a keeper!
Everything went smoothly, which is a sign of good organization.
Good balance, the two free days were a welcome break
Liked the freedom at the gardens rather than being guided through, great garden selection
Hilda was just excellent - nice combination of pleasant manner, informality and sense of humour
Perfectly scheduled between free days and garden tour days
I couldn't have been more pleased - it was a perfect Christmas present!
Hotel location was wonderful and Hilda was excellent!
Great gardens and side tours were the icing on the cake!
Best tour I have taken, I will definitely recommend it to my friends
I liked the itinerary and the two free days provides time on your own to relax or explore
Excellent overview of some of the best gardens England has to offer
Good balance between gardens visits, free time and extras
Well done! Hilda was Great!
Wonderful choice of gardens
Excellent hotel, location, meals and service was great
Haven't never taken a tour previously, I thoroughly enjoyed it
Everything very well planned
Thanks for a great trip!
First garden tour I've been on like this and enjoyed it immensely
We were well informed. I looked forward to each day
Mafra, Ericeira, the Atlantic coast and Sintra were beautiful
Rita was wonderful on the Portugal tour - Elaine just loved her and I thought she was very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly
Bruce and I really enjoyed Portugal. It is a beautiful country and it has made me want to find out more about the history. Both Bruce and I enjoyed the architecture the most.
We got to see quite a bit but also have free time to wander around
'Enjoyed all the gardens especially Sissinghurst & Scotney Castle'
'Well organized, lots of pre tour information'
'Thanks for ordering the great weather for our tour - had a great time'
'Week long tours are great...well done Donna!'
'Great bunch of people on this tour'
'Chelsea Flower Show exceeded expectations'
'Well organized and relaxed'
'Well organized and great guide'
'Hilda, our guide was great'
'Liked balance of free days and tour days'
'Hilda was very knowledgeable in English history, and very entertaining'
'My first tour, good variety of gardens with some of them breathtaking'
'I liked the opportunity of visiting the gardens on my own time and in areas that interested me'
'It was wonderful, no problems or glitches'
'Hilda was a gem'
'The two free days were spaced out just right!'
'It was a great trip. My first to England and you made it great!'
'I found a lot was put into it and yet still had time to see places for myself'
'We enjoyed it very, very much and must say that it clearly exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed the tour at your own pace at the gardens and the days off during the tour. We were able to contrast country visits with city visits and enjoyed some wonderful and entertaining visits.'
'Fun filled, enjoyed extra stops in villages'
'Excellent, restaurant service very pleasant, good mix of gardens and non garden visits'
'Excellent choice of gardens, Thanks Donna and everyone at Farlie - you did a great job'
'A delightful tour, with many off the beaten track surprises'
'Fabulous effort by all concerned - bravo!'
'Donna, thank you for your attention to detail and inexhaustible patience and good nature'
'Since I've never been on a trip like this, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it has been great'
'Excellent planning and gardens'
'Very nice tour, thank you for your time and energy
'The treatment and considerations shown to us were great, excellent coach and driver'
'Excellent garden selection'
'Enjoyable people, comfortable accommodations, good experiences..'
'Thank you for all of your efforts to make our trip memorable. It was a great opportunity for us to meet exciting people and visit exceptional gardens. Do you think that East Anglia will be the same after our diverse group of garden lovers left the area?'
'The trip was the greatest! Tom and I loved it all'
'Thanks again for such a great tour--Not only was it fun, it also provided all sorts of useful info and ideas that will be good fodder for future talks and stories. In fact, I've written a bit about the tour in my September editorial (accompanied by a shot of a terrified-looking me on a cherry picker at the Hampton Court show). Lorraine took the snap as I was being mercifully deposited back on the ground. Yikes.'
'We liked the self pace at the gardens, the size of the group was good'
'Excellent tour, enjoyed it'
'We enjoyed our tour very much. The people on the tour were great to be with and we made a lot of friends'
'All inclusive idea was good, good mix, not too much each day'
'My first tour, good variety of gardens with some of them breathtaking'
'I found a lot was put into it and yet still had time to see places for myself'
'I loved seeing the countryside and I think Hilda was a great guide. I was just thrilled to bits to be part of it all. I even got inspired to do some gardening! Thanks again.'
'I had a great time on the I Can Garden Chelsea Tour, from the beautiful gardens and manor homes we saw and the incredible floral displays at Chelsea, to all the wonderful people we met and the friends we made. It was everything I had hoped for and more!'
'I would recommend your tour to friends as I had a very good time. The coach driver, John, was a good, safe driver with a pleasant, friendly personality.
As I said before, Hilda did a great job, not only with tour information, but was pleasant and friendly to the tour members. And your travel agent did a great job, arranging to include us in the transfers from London to the Posthouse and to Gatwick.
Thanks for everything.'
'What did I like? I loved staying in the same hotel for the whole time. We have done the whirlwind tour where every day or two at most you are packing and moving on. It was wonderful to unpack on day 1 and not have to worry about it again until it was time to go home. I liked the idea of almost all meals and admissions being included -- again, not having to worry about how much extra cash you need to tote along is great. I'm not big on carrying a lot of money around.'
'Chelsea was, well Chelsea. The displays of flowers, the arrangements, the model gardens. I must admit I am glad to have the video so that I can see what I missed because of the numbers of people. The window box/hanging basket display was wonderful and of interest to me because Canada Blooms (the five day extravaganza put on by Gardens Clubs of Ontario and Landscape Ontario) has a window box class as well.'
'We all had a WONDERFUL time and the weather was with us for the whole trip. We all have more ideas than money but we did see some very special gardens and of course, the Chelsea Flower Show. Personally, I now want a small castle with courtyard gardens. Nothing too big of course ;-)'
'Just thought I would check in as requested and let you know that Mom and I are alive and well, if a little jetlagged at present. Already looking to see if I can afford the next Chelsea. Talk to you later, Donna and thanks again for the garden tour of a life time.'
'Don and I thoroughly enjoyed the garden tour and Don enjoyed it more than I thought he would . The time went by much too quickly though. We were completely happy with the tour, didn't find ourselves rushed, thought all the gardens were well worth the visit and thought Hilda was super.( a very lovely lady )Thank-you ever so much for such a well planned tour - would certainly recommend it and in fact would like to go again sometime.'
'I want to thank you for organizing the trip. It was the best vacation I have ever been on. Bruce isn't as gushy as I am, but I know he had a great time too.'
'The best thing about the tour was the fact that with no effort on our part we got to see a lot of places. The problem with us is we usually just wander around [which we enjoy] but in the end we feel a bit guilty for not seeing as much as we could have. This was the first tour we have been on and I can't think of anything that would have made it better. We had a great bunch of people, Hilda and John were great and the accommodations were very nice. Every garden we saw was different and interesting.'
'Hilda and John were great, the bus very comfortable and the hotel very pleasant. I particularly liked the idea of staying in one place. In fact that was one of the things that attracted me to the tour.
Chelsea was great. No rain, no hay fever, great gardens and nice companions.'
'Many Thanks to you for a great job on the organizing etc. We so enjoyed meeting you and the other travelers, what a great group. We did not feel rushed nor did we feel we saw to many gardens at one time. It seemed pretty well perfect in that respect.'
'Thanks for knowing how much time is needed at each stop to have an unrushed good time!..'
'Loved the side trips.'
'Where do I sign up for next years tour!.'
'Thanks Donna for a memorable vacation ... you have been caring, helpful, knowledgeable and fun!'
'I look forward to many adventures with you.'
'The tour was well organized and run smoothly.'
'Had a wonderful time!.'
'It was truly one of, if not, the best tours I have ever taken.'
'Very, very good guides!.'
'We did so much, it was amazing ... I got to many places I never could have seen on my own.'
'Marvelous trip ... gardens were beyond expectation.'
'Very impressed with the itinerary and information supplied by the guides.'
'I liked the size of the group.'
'Paris was a wonderful surprise ... magnifique!'
'Having everything taken care of so well made it a really 'posh' time.'
'Hilda's city tour of London was tops!'
'I had an excellent relaxing vacation. With all the dreaded details taken care of by your staff, I could sample more of the countries and gardens than I could have on my own..'