I have just returned from one week on your beautiful boat in Burma I wanted to write to you to commend the whole team on board the Orient.

I had very high expectations of the whole trip, but did not expect all the additional touches from crew and front of house teams.

The absolute delights just kept coming, from the unplanned cocktails and canapes on a sandbar (complete with teak tables and a bonfire!)!; plus the team bringing us Campari cocktails as we sat waiting for sunset on the lake by the U Bain bridge.

This was a team that truly deserves an accolade, from the purser himself, through to every single member of the team.

Our guide, Jay, also deserves a special mention. His command of the English language is exceptional, and this together with a lovely quiet sense of humour made such a massive difference to the shore excursions. I know he is employed by Pandaw on a freelance basis, and wanted you to know that every member of the passengers would say the same. Please continue to use this amazing young man for your cruises in Burma, he most certainly adds massive value to the experience as a whole with his incredible knowledge and gentle manner.

Please can you ensure that this commendation is passed on to the highest levels and that the team are recognised for their dedication and incredible customer service.

Regards
Mrs G L Wilkinson

Paul

We just wanted to let you know that we had the most wonderful time on our 14 day Myanmar 600 mile "adventure" departing Yangon on 3 October.

This was our second Pandaw experience and we just loved it.

The service was perfect and all the crew were so friendly and couldn't do enough for us and our fellow travellers. Thin and Meo looked after us literally from dawn to "lights out" and were just charming. The food is spot on and we loved being able to be eat on the deck rather than in a formal dining room. The Burmese salads at lunch time were a particular highlight. We had a delicious Burmese chicken curry at one meal and the chef was kind enough to give me the recipe.

The shore excursions were very well organised and very interesting. Gigi, our guide, was a font of knowledge and very consultative and made sure we were all happy with the pace and what we were to see and do. I guess this was easy the first week as there were only 9 of us and mostly only 7 or 8 going ashore. It all helped that we all got along and no one was "difficult".

The day were were to disembark, news came through that there had been an incident at a hotel in Yangon involving an explosive device. Some of the passengers were more concerned than others about safety but I think we all appreciated the visit from your Mandalay representative, Dan, who came on board to explain what had happened and to calm any nerves.

Please pass on our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all the crew of the RV Katha Pandaw!

Kind regards

Elizabeth Lane and John McCallum

The cruise was above our expectations and we wished that we were on a longer cruise. We had only booked as far as Phnom Penh because we had already been to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat twice. However, we look forward to doing a future Pandaw cruise on a different river. The boat was very comfortable, we liked its old style with plenty of wood fittings, the crew were very helpful and attentive, the food was excellent and the included shore excursions were very interesting.