Greaves Tours LLC - Wheeling, Illinois

Barbara F.

WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT…
Wow... I never knew this level of service existed. Greaves arranged a spectacular trip through India for us... truly amazing! We saw tigers and leopards in the wild, the Taj Mahal, the Blue City, The Pink City, and several other locations... all fantastic!
We are full-time travelers with 54 countries visited. In most we've rented cars and traveled independently... we’ve even learned to drive on the "other" side of the road.
India would be an extremely difficult place to tour without help. It is, by far, the most chaotic, non-stop, rules-be-damned, shock to the senses we've ever experienced! Seriously. It's a big part of the enjoyment, as long as someone else is driving, but would add a lot of limitations and frustration without.
Arriving in India, we were met by Greaves on the tarmac and ushered through customs without waiting in the long line. A car and driver magically appeared any time we needed to go anywhere... 24/7. A guide also magically appeared in the car at every destination that would benefit by one. (Skilled,, knowledgeable, friendly guides who spoke excellent English.)
I can't stress enough how diligently they worked with us to determine what we wanted from the trip and then planned one that far exceeded our expectations.

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG:
Greave's regular services are worth recommending even when nothing goes wrong… but you wouldn't believe how they care for you when something does.
We had an emergency when an illness worsened so suddenly that we were forced off a flight to be admitted to the hospital. I'd called Greaves when we landed after the first of our two flights that day and asked them to help arrange for a hospital at our final destination city (still planning to take our 2nd flight). Greaves recommended we abandon our 2nd flight and stay in New Delhi, where the best hospitals are. They stressed we should NOT continue to Varanasi, where the hospitals are not as good and where they were currently overrun with patients from a giant festival in the area. (Great inside knowledge!)
They sent a driver and representative to collect us at the airport. They somehow got our bags off the 2nd flight, less than an hour before departure. They whisked us to the best hospital in the city, where their representative then ushered us through Admitting... interpreting for us, negotiating on our behalf, handling all the paperwork, smoothing the way... he was amazing!

As I was also ill, the Greaves Rep quickly made hotel arrangements across the street for me. After a few hours of getting my husband admitted and settled in the Observation area, the rep delivered me to my hotel, handled all the check-in business on my behalf, and saw me to my room, making sure all my luggage had been correctly delivered.

He then went back to the hospital and spent several more hours with my husband, until he was out of Observation and settled into his room. How incredible is that?!

But wait... there's more...
The next day my condition had suddenly worsened, and I needed to be admitted as well. Greaves' representative appeared AND DID IT ALL AGAIN!!!

They also held on to our luggage (nowhere to keep it in the hospital), visited us several times throughout our 20-day stay, assisted with hospital business (interpreting, inquiring, responding), and showed us a sustained level of above-and-beyond care we've never experienced before. They were/are truly angels.

I would love to meet the owner of this business. Because, "as the head goes... so goes the body." He/she/they must be incredibly wonderful to have assembled a team and built a business like this. It's truly extraordinary.

My sincere thanks to all on the team (including those in the background!) who made our trip sensational. We are healthy. We are grateful. 🙏

Dave J.

In an era when so many service providers pressure clients for five star reviews I want to start this review by stating that this review was NOT solicited in way, shape, or form. I feel I owe it to Greaves. Read on if you want to know why…
I engaged Greaves to plan a trip to India for me, my wife, and daughter. The primary objective of the trip was to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest gathering of humans on the planet. I worked with them to plan every aspect of the 30 day trip. From the moment we landed in New Delhi until we flew out we were cared for with a level of service we did not know existed. The hotels, guides, drivers, destinations, transportation, were all first rate. They were always on time. They always fulfilled or exceeded our expectations. They clearly cared about us and our experience.
The reason I feel I owe Greaves (and you) this review follows:
After the Maha Kumbh Mela, ( 622 million people attended over the 45 days of the mela) my wife and I started to cough and feel a little tired. We continued to tour. Our symptoms grew worse. On the way to Varnasi we stopped in New Delhi, I’d taken a sudden turn for the worse and needed a hospital. We informed Greaves and asked them to arrange for a hospital in Varnasi. Greaves strongly recommended against continuing. Varanasi hospitals there aren’t as good and they were currently overrun with others who’d gotten sick or injured at the Kumbh mela. They got us off the plane. Collected our luggage, got me a wheelchair, (I couldn’t walk by then). They got us to one of the best hospitals in New Delhi, MAX Speciality hospital.
Our Greaves guide stayed with us through the entire intake process and admission to the ICU. When I say there is NO way we could have found this good hospital or navigated the admission process I do not exaggerate. We speak no Hindi. The intake process was totally foreign. Both my wife and I were very sick with what turned out to be severe pneumonia. The Greaves representative came back throughout the next several days and intermittently throughout our stay to ensure we were getting the care we needed. They hooked us up with the hospital international office that handled liaisons with our U.S. insurance.
I was in the hospital for 15 days, my wife for 20 days. Greaves was with us every step of the way. We are out now and healthy. I will repeat, there is no way my wife and I could have done this without Greaves. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, I rate Greaves a 6. I highly recommend them.

Dave J.

lisa B.

As a Travel Advisor I always use Greaves for India! They customize each trip so that every experience is unique for my clients. They all come back LOVING India!!! Thank you Greaves!

SBMA T.