Just a few of hundreds of testimonial letters for Hussein Hinnawi
" ........ I wanted to send thanks to you and your driver for the great personalized service. You made us feel special and gave us VIP treatment from start to finish. You pampered us with superb service, tasty tea, delicious food and provided us with a world of facts about your wonderful country. Many thanks for your expert and tailored attention, and your untiring efforts to be absolutely the best in the tour guide business......." Alan and Shauna Curtis, New York U.S.A.
" ........ We made with Mr Hussein a trip from Damascus to Hama, Halab, Deir Resur, Douro Europus, Palmyra, Homs, Tartus and back to Damascus. We visited all the usual and less usual archaeological and cultural sites ..... our guide showed an amazing skill of knowledge of the subjects. And what is more he turned out to be a real advocate for the sake of Syria. He managed to bring us through the heartlines of Syria’s very old panorama of history, but also he learned us about the nowadays delicate goings on to achieve prosperity in a peaceful way. … we were guided in an extraordinarily very warm human and intelligent way…...” Wim G.Ket, Plantsoen, Netherlands.
“.......... Mr Hussein Hinnawi was our guide on a visit to Syria in 1999 and from the moment we met him we knew we were in safe hands. Nothing was allowed to go wrong, and every member of the party felt he had a special regard just for them. His historical and geographical knowledge of the country was unparalleled and he made our stay in Syria the high spot of our Middle Eastern tour.........” Bernadette Rivett, Woking, England.
“I first met Hussein in 1993 on my first trip to Syria when it was far more ‘closed’ to tourists than it is now. What a stroke of luck that was for me! Not only did he help me with my research for my book on Jane Digby while I was there, but he continued working on my behalf, in his own time, after I went home. It was he who found that Jane’s old villa was still standing, took photographs of it for my book, and arranged for me to visit the house on my next trip. He steadfastly refused to take any payment for this and in fact I am still in his debt! He and his lovely family are very much part of my family now and his children call me ‘Teita Mary’ – Grandma Mary - which I regard as a great privilege.” Mary S. Lovell, (biographer) Gloucestershire, England.
  "Dear Hussein, Our wonderful 14 days in lovely Syria is still very fresh in our minds. We cannot thank you enough for giving us such a memorable holiday. You had planned it all so well – I only wish I had written a diary … but I still hope to write some things down helped with all the photographs I took. I WISH that we were doing it all over again this week! … We absolutely loved every minute and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DID FOR US...."…  Lord and Lady Leicester, Holkham, Norfolk, England (May 2004).
‘Mr Hussein’ gave us a wonderful time on our Syrian tour. We saw fantastic sights, both well known and off the beaten track, which he brought to life with his extensive knowledge of history. His English is excellent by the way, and he took care of all arrangements for our comfort on the visits and journeys with complete reliability.” Mrs Ann Llewellin, Chepstow, Wales.
Hussein while staying at Holkham as the guest of Lord and Lady Leicester, in 2004.
“Hussein’s English is far more cultured than most native speakers I have met. He is a charming and amusing man… [At Aleppo] we went into the Grand Mosque and he had all the doors closed behind us. He then sang the call to prayer. Now over loud speakers with poor production and competing voices all out of Sync the call to prayer doesn’t sound too great. But with a single beautiful voice and excellent acoustics it is lovely and rather moving…..” Julie and Martin Edge Adelaide, Australia (http://www.senet.com.au/~medge/metrip/me0705.html)
“Our trip around Syria was one of the most interesting and ‘different’ holidays my wife and I have ever experienced. Hussein was amazingly well informed about history and culture, and we never asked a question he couldn’t answer. He was so much more professional than the guide we had in Jordan the previous week (who sounded as though he had learned his facts from a book and was reciting them back to us word for word), and the entire group came to have utmost confidence in Hussein. It was noticeable how much happier and more cohesive the group became under Hussein’s guiding. Incidentally, his singing and playing of various musical instruments, added considerably to an evening’s entertainment.”Mr and Mrs Thomas Davidson, Portsmouth, England.
“Hussein … showed an excellent grasp of historical knowledge, had a clear delivery, and a sense of humour at all times. His reading of the Holy Bible in the House of Ananais in Damascus, and his beautiful chanting of the Muslim Call to Prayer in the Citadel Mosque in Aleppo and the Crac des Chevalier fortress were perfect in their timing, and in their creation a very moving experience for the whole group. Syria is, I think, one of the best kept secrets of the Middle East, but Mr Hinnawi revealed for us some of those precious secrets…. All travel arrangements went smoothly and efficiently.” Ewan Sorton Davies, Barry, South Glamorgan, Wales.
“Both you and Syria exceeded our expectations a great deal. Your knowledge of your country, and your enthusiastic love of your country, spills off on those you are guiding. You are truly ‘a man of many talents’ but your constant concern for our well-being was much noted and appreciated.” B.J. and Bob Lofgren, Colorado, USA.
  "We have thoroughly enjoyed Hussein’s company during our visit of nine days to Syria, and benefited hugely from his wise guidance. Hussein knows each corner of Syria, and is a true master of the different faiths and civilisations. Equally important, he judges exactly how much of that knowledge he should pass on at each stage of the the journey. It is impossible to pose a question to Hussein which he cannot answer – and answer accurately, with humour and lightness of touch. This has been a memorable visit for us – thanks to Hussein." Douglas Hurd (Lord Hurd of Westwell), Burford Oxford, England. (October 2005).
Hussein with Douglas Hurd
“…We are very much aware, I in particular, that much of our good fortune in Syria derived from your being our guide during those days. Your readiness to adapt to our particular wishes, your innovative visits to coffee houses, a Bedouin tent, the home of a bus driver in Palmyra: all these were greatly appreciated by members of the group. And this is to say nothing of your expert guiding day by day in busy Damascus and Aleppo, in remote Ebla and Ugarit, Krak des Chevallier (complete with thunder and lightening), Bosrah etc, etc. ….Thanks Hussein for making our Study Tour such a valuable and memorable experience.” B. Rod Doyle Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Dear Hussein, Salaam Alaikum. A thousand thanks for making our visit to Syria so interesting and such a pleasure.... We very much look forward to seeing you here at Minterne in August as our guest ... The Hon Zara Percy (daughter of Lord and Lady Digby), Minterne, Dorset, England (May 2004).