Kimkim Trip Reviews for Thailand

I connected with Kelly on Kimkim and she helped me plan a fun and relaxing trip to Thailand. From the start, Kelly gave me a great itinerary. There were some things I wanted to do, and she was able to make it fit into the itinerary. I was also picky with my hotels, but Kelly was patient and helped me find the perfect ones! My tour guide in Bangkok, Tammy, was very friendly and helpful. She was very knowledgeable on the history of Thailand and on the temples we visited. Vicky, my tour guide in Chiang Mai, was also great! She was able to show me the area and how it’s different than Bangkok. She also gave great recommendations on what to do during my free time. Overall fantastic experience!

Our trip was everything we could have imagined and more. Our guide in Bangkok, Peak was wonderful. He gave us tips and tricks for how to negotiate prices with street vendors. He was very informative and taught us a lot about Bangkok. He became like one of our family in the few days we were with him. JJ our next guide in northern Thailand was wonderful as well. She gave us suggestions on things to do. She suggested a change to our original itinerary to see a sunset rather than a sunrise and we were very delighted in the change. She also showed us many more unexpected sights. She walked us down the food vendor street in Pai, telling us what all the food was. I felt we were on a foodie tour that I didn’t even sign up for. So great! Both our guides I would definitely use again and highly recommend. Lacey our tour specialist who put the trip together was great as well. She worked with me for months putting the perfect trip together for me, my husband and 2 young adult daughters. She was so patient with me asking many questions and changing the itinerary several times up until we left for our trip. It was my daughters birthday the day we arrived in Bangkok and I asked Lacey to arrange a surprise for her in the hotel upon arrival. The surprise was so much more than I expected from a small gift, to a cake, flowers and her bed decorated with the words Happy Birthday. She felt so special. The itinerary was as flawless from the moment we arrived like going to the fast track right off the plane and not having to wait in customs. We were treated like royalty the entire trip. So organized and put together well. All the hotels were also top notch. They were all so different. My only complaint would be our excursion experience in Khanom. Our first excursion was snorkeling and visiting pig island with lunch. The guide gave very little info or direction. When he gave us the mask and snorkel the mask came apart from the snorkel and sunk to the bottom of the ocean which I felt was because he did not attach the snorkel correctly for us. At the end of the excursion I was charged 1000 bht to replace the mask. For lunch he asked us if we had food allergies. I told him we were vegetarian. He seemed to understand but our lunch was seafood soup and chicken entrees. The next days excursion we ended up canceling due to the fact it was the same guide and our experience that day was not great. We decided to stay at the hotel and take advantage of the spa which was a good choice. My overall experience with KimKim was excellent. They did all the planning and arranging everything which was so nice. I will definitely be using them again and highly recommend. Next trip Slovenia/Croatia.

Thank you Lacey & KimKim

Hotel Reviews

Rachamankha Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

The grounds were beautiful! Like an oasis. The entire experience here was top notch

Authenticity & Character

The originality of the design made this hotel absolutely beautiful

Location

Walking distance to many shops, street venders and restaurants

Staff

The bartender and restaurant staff was great. Best lychee martini ever

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved that they had little bottles of big spray complementary. Also liked the fact they came by each night asking if we needed any more towels or toiletries

Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas

Phuket

From the time you enter the grounds you are in paradise. Love everything about this hotel. One favorite was feeding the fish at breakfast. The hotel provides bread to feed the fish. The activities scheduled each day as also nice. Breakfast buffet had something for everyone

Authenticity & Character

Having a pool for each bungalow is what sets this hotel apart

Location

Close to restraunts and shops but far enough away you are very secluded

Staff

The front desk staff seemed to anticipate what we needed before we even asked. Very helpful in getting taxi’s and suggestions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved that they give you new beach towels to use everyday. Nice touch putting a glass and bottle water beside your bed each day

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel

Bangkok

A favorite hotel we stayed at. Close to everything, breakfast buffet was exceptional and the staff went above and beyond. If I could give it 10 stars I would

Authenticity & Character

The ambiance

Location

Walking distance to several malls, walking distance to rail station

Staff

The staff that left the goodies through the day in our hotel for my daughters birthday. Each time we came back to the room a new surprise was waiting from a gift to a cake to flowers to happy birthday spelled out in the bed. Above expectations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plenty of towels was provided without asking. The shampoo and conditioner was great smelling

Reverie Siam Resort

Mae Hong Son

This hotel was tranquillity. You feel like you’re in a garden. So laid back and beautiful

Authenticity & Character

Very original and antique boutique hotel

Location

Felt like we were in our own world

Staff

The breakfast staff girls were so friendly. On our 2nd day of breakfast they remembered each of our coffee and drink orders

Cleanliness & Comfort

All comfy. Only negative would be the bathroom gets very hot in the middle of the day. Air conditioner cannot keep us with heat in the bathrooms

Aava Resort And Spa

Restaurant on the beach was beautiful. And the staff was very caring and attentive. The hotel has an orange cat named Ginger that lives there and is very friendly. The spa was very relaxing and a good was to spend an afternoon

Authenticity & Character

I liked the bungalow style rooms. Felt like you had your own place with nobody around

Location

Location was a bit far from anything. Only a couple restaurants to choose from

Staff

Restaurant staff was the best all around.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

John Gray's sea canoe - Hong by Starlight - Joining excursion

Phuket

This excursion was excellent. There was a guide for each 2 people. Very one on one and personal experience. Food was excellent. Fun fun trip. Would highly recommend as one of the most do excursions

Quality of Experience

Setting the flowers in the water at sunset and seeing the glowing plantkin in the water at night

Food

All of it. A lot of variety

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the guides and staff were fun. Very well organized tour

Transport

Nice and smooth relaxing boat

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Great way to experience the culture. Loved seeing how the locals live.

Quality of Experience

Experiencing the culture of Thailand

Food

Trying the floating market food and Peak’s recommendations

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Peak our guide taught us much about the Thai people and culture. He was able to answer all questions we had.

Transport

Prompt and comfortable van

Bangkok Symbolic Temples

Bangkok

Beautiful temples.

Quality of Experience

Our guide explained a lot of history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The knowledge of the history of Buddhism, temples and Thai culture

Transport

Bangkok - Flight to Chiang Mai - Transfer to Pai

Thailand

Good flight. No issues

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pai - Sunrise at Yuan Lai View Point - Lod cave - Ja Bo - Kiew Lom

Pai

The Jabo Village was wonderful and a highlight of our time in Thailand. The local family showed us some bamboo crafts, let us try in the tribe clothing and we even got to visit the ho e of the oldest village lady. The Lod Cave was the ok. Water was too low so we had to walk the cave instead of bamboo rafts

Quality of Experience

By far the Jabo village experience with a local village family is a must

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The villagers welcomed us into there home like we were one of them

Transport

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Morning session)

Chiang Mai

Fun experience. I liked that they have a photographer and they didn’t charge extra for the photos. Very well organized activity and friendly staff.

Quality of Experience

Well organized. Food was good. Participation with everyone was good

Food

The variety

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hit and bumpy

Love Chiang Mai cooking experience (Afternoon session)

Chiang Mai

Fun great experience. From shopping at the market to cooking. She let us pick several different things to cook so we weren’t all cooking the same thing.

Quality of Experience

Host was funny and fun. Let us experiment

Food

Likes the mango sticky rice the best of course

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fun

Transport

ATV & Jungle trekking (join-in)

Chiang Mai

We started with the trekking first. It was fun but very hot and not an easy trek. Not for those that are not in shape. We then switched from the ATV because we thought it might be too hot to the rafting. That was great fun and quite an adrenaline rush

Quality of Experience

The rafting. The guides made it so fun

Food

They knew we were vegetarian and we didn’t even need to remind them

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The rafting guides

Transport

Phi Phi – Bamboo Island by speedboat joining tour

Phuket

Beautiful scenery, great fun guides, snorkeling not as good as I’ve seen other places I have traveled. Well organized.

Quality of Experience

Guides were fun. When snorkeling they got in the ware with us showed us things

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fast boat but very choppy water

SNORKELING TOUR - Madsum and Tan Island

Khanom

Our experience was not the best. Guide was not very informative and spoke little English. Was charged extra for mask that fell into the ocean. Food was suppose to be for vegetarians but wasn’t even though we reminded them. No instructions when we got caught in storm. Just told we had to hunker down and wait it out. No ladder to climb back into the boat. Had to be pulled up by boat driver and guide. Guide and driver smoked on the boat. No guidance to times we needed to meet back on the boat

Quality of Experience

Better guide

Food

Stick to what is requested-vegatarian

Guides, Drivers and Staff

More direction and instructions. No smoking

Transport

Finding pink dolphins on a local boat & Khanom sightseeing

Khanom

Did not do this activity due to same guide and your company as previous day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I had such a wonderful time with Aurora. She made extra special stops here and there to show me authentic food choices and gluten free options as I am gluten free. I really feel lucky to have got to spend so much time with Aurora exploring the culture of Thailand.

Trip was aligned mutually based on our needs and finally perfectly organized by kimkim guys. All went 100% correct as per our agreement, the service was excellent. Our local specialist was always stand by in case we needed any clarification or help. It was our 2nd trip with kimkim and we had a great experience again. We could focus on our holiday activities, instead of logistics (where, when, how). We don't like to stay at one place only, we prefer to explore the country where we are going to, therefore logistics is quite important and kimkim is providing excellent service in this area.
We definitely recommend kimkim to the others and we will use it in the future again.

Hotel Reviews

Phi Phi Natural Resort

Krabi

Great experience in less busy area of the island.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is located at the northernmost part of the island, not overcrowded by tourists, which we liked a lot. Directly located at the beach. We could watch the sunrise directly from our room and also sunset when walking 10-15 minutes over a small hill.

Staff

Very helpful, whenever we asked for anything.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Galleria 12 Bangkok Hotel by Compass Hospitality

Bangkok

Good hotel with everything you need. We haven't spend too much time inside. Beds were very comfortable and huge :-) .

Authenticity & Character

Location

The street is very small and narrow, on the other side there is not noise there. Also Skytrain and shops are 5-10 min walk from there, which is very convenient.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our Jungle House

Khao Sok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Great experience. Our guide was very actionable and she was explaining everything all the way. Thanks Kanya for great evening.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok Symbolic Temples

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day trip to Cheow Lan lake joining tour

Khao Sok

Very relaxing day - the lake is awesome, water is clean and warm. We had enough time for swimming and kayaking, food for lunch was delicious. Hiking to cave and through forest was quite an easy one, we were expecting much more difficult hike. It's easy for kids as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Khao Sok night safari (Our Jungle Resort)

Khao Sok

We were a bit disappointed with night safari. First of all we wouldn't call it safari, however we might be spoiled by real safari in Africa. We would rather call it easy walk through night forest on wide pathways, but a bit overcrowded with lot of other people group, which were unable to keep quiet. Therefore also the number of spotted animals was quite limited (besides insect and some snakes). We were lucky to spot few sleeping monkeys.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was fenomenal from beginning to end. It was more than what I expected. It was so perfectly crafted for what we wanted.

We started at Bangkok where we had the sweetest, kindest and nicest guide we could have asked for (Annie). She made the Bangkok experience so much better. She had fun facts about every site we visited, knew her history, was really passionate about her work and was always prepared for any eventuality. With her we visited the different palaces and temples, went to Chinatown for our food experience, night tour of the city and she pointed us out to great food and places to visit on our day off.

I must confess that Bangkok was not my favorite but I in general don't like large cities. Our hotel W22 was exactly what we asked for. However, the location left some to be desired. If the exact same hotels was somewhere different I would go back. The rooms were simple but nice looking and clean, it was styled very nicely, it was just the unexpected surrounding areas and somewhat questionable characters, so the location was not my favorite. in the street. But I never felt unsafe and with all and all it was very accessible, close to site, food and bars. Now this was not Kim Kim's first recommendation, they had proposed some other more fancier hotels, but since I was in somewhat of a budget this hotel was Ok and met all our needs. Plus Annie picked us up almost every day, took us where we needed to go and made sure we knew how to get around, expected prices and gave us tips to navigate the city when we were not with her. She was always on time and ready for anything.

From Bangkok we went to Ayutthaya, Annie and Kim Kim arrange for all transportations and accommodations, which were just great. (PS: I really loved being assisted and greeted at the airport to be able to fastrack all lines and process to enter the country).

Ayutthaya was fantastic, even though the heat was overwhelming, so if you go do it before April. The ancient city is so large that you should plan for a couple of days if you like ruins and to walk around and be transported in time. If I would have done something different, I would have skipped the summer palace altogether to get to Ayutthaya much earlier. That way I would have beat the crowds and the heat, because by the time we got there it was got painfully hot. I don't mind waking up early so I wish this would have been a choice or we could have gone the night before to be there much earlier, since Bangkok is really not far. I would rather leave really early, get there as soon as they open and once, I finish visiting all the places I wanted be giving the option to go to the summer palace or not. Unfortunately for us there wasn't much of a choice, we were driven to the palace directly. There wasn't really much to see aside from the spacious gardens, most buildings were closed so I really didn't see the point of stopping there. Definitely go to Ayutthaya, stay the day, enjoy the city, see the ruins at sunset, explore it again in the morning and then go back to wherever you are traveling. It is worth the trip and time. Our hotel in Ayutthaya (Kantary Hotel) was great, had a nice pool with a great view. The rooms were beautiful and very spacious.

Annie went above and beyond her job to make us feel confortable and welcomed, her kindness and graciousness will be something I will remember always. She was a trooper and a fantastic photographer, I think we have hundreds of pictures of us which we often don't take. She send them all to us and now we have more wonderful memories! If we go back to Bangkok or any surrounding areas I would ask to be paired with her again.

After we went to Chiang Rai, what a fun little city. Our hotel was amazing, I think my favorite one, based on style. The Nak Nakara was a relatively small Lana Style hotel, confortable, beautifully kept, really well maintained and with lots of personality. It had a really nice pool that we got to enjoy in the evenings a very convenient restaurant and close to fun evening markets. Everyone there was lovely and helpful, they helped us arrange for tuk tuks to take us places. Our guide Mr Chuan was great. He was nice, knowledgeable and pleasant, he was very accommodating and kind, he let us do the visits in our own time, never pressure us or rush. The golden triangle was interesting, and we did also the food experience. But it was all the variety of temples we visited that made this place so memorable. Do visit the white temple and black house and if you have time go to the blue temple. We also discover a funky little bar, restaurant, hanging place
the Chivit Thamma Dat, this was recomended by our hotel staff. What a nice place to end our days. We ended going there in the evenings for food and drinks, to relax by the river and enjoy the view. It really rounded up our little adventure. 5 stars for Chiang Rai. We loved it.

On to our favorite place Chiang Mai.

We stayed inside the old walls and had the most amazing guide, Mona (Ms Kanyavee). Our hotel Thai Akara was great! Also a Lana Style hotel, a little more modern than the others, was perfectly locatate. Everything and anything was reachable by foot. Our street was awsom, we had food, markets, bars, temples, spas a barber and even a laundramat all within walking distance. The people were amazing, the pool was great (it was really hot in May). Our favorite person was our guide Mona.

Mona was so much fun to spend time with. She was knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, very well rounded and make each day fun. She was never intrusive and so, so kind. With her we did a food experience which was great and she was flexible enought to acomodate to anything we wanted, took us around the city and went with us to the Jungle temple (my favorite) on to a hike, waterfalls, coffe farm and a monk blessing. We went with her to the Doi Inthanon National Park (A must go if you can) She was great! Thanks Mona!!!

Finally we ended this three week trip in Krabi. We stayed at a resort and that may be the only place I would not recommend. It was supposed to be a 4 star resort but I am sorry to say maybe a 3. The Beyond resort at Krabi has seen better days and is somewhat run down. The first room we received was really substandard and I had to raise a complained about it. And while we had issues with our room, the staff was so accommodating and understanding. We were promptly moved to another room but it was an inconvenience. Now the resort staff will make up for it, what an amazing staff they have, every single one of them. Including the manager who called me to apologize for the room. With some TLC the resort can recover, the grounds are great, I loved the beach and pool and absolutely love that they were very kitty friendly (as most of Thailand is). The pool was nice and the restaurant was OK... but no worries cause just next door there was a fantastic restaurant, bar and spa.

At Krabi we spend most of the time on boat tours, island hopping, visiting beautiful beaches and snorkeling. One recommendation though. I don't think it is needed to book this experiences ahead of time. On our day off we coordinate through the hotel a private boat. This was so much better than the joining tours and the price difference was very small. But do it there, all the prices as consistent and listed everywhere so there is little chance for anyone to take advantage of you. They really cater to tourist and I am sure that way will be much more affordable than booking them ahead of time. I do recommend the speed boat to Phi Phi islands. If you are choosing to do Kayaking at Ao Thalane don't do the whole day. The best part was the first part of the trip through the canyon, absolutely breathtaking. The kayaking through the river was nice and fun but not as amazing as the first part of the day.

All and all I give this trip a 9 out of 10. With very, very few inconveniences that were promptly resolved by our specialist Lacey. I want to give kuddos to her, since she was always attentive and in the few instances, we had an issue she was easy to reach and prompt to help us.

Hotel Reviews

Nak Nakara Hotel

Chiang Rai

Cute Lana Style hotel. Well located, confortable, clean and good looking rooms. Great pool, amicable and hospitable staff. Close to everything we needed. Perfect for our visit.

Authenticity & Character

Love its character. It had a mixed of modern while still traditional. Lovely looking gardens, perfectly manicured, open aired areas, great pool

Location

Close the night bazar, on a quite road, with easy transportation.

Staff

Oh the staff!!! Very young but so helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cant complaint! Clean confortable rooms and shared spaces.

W22 by Burasari

Bangkok

More like a 3 1/2 stars. The hotel itself is very nice looking. It is great for a short stop. The pictures do give credit to the hotel. It is the location that left me hesitant to give it a higher rating. However while this hotel is not for me. It is in the heart of China Town close to everything. So give it a try, you may like it.

Authenticity & Character

The decorations are very nice (I wish it had a bar or snack area). The hotel is charming in its own way. It looks lovely inside and it was perfect for spending a couple of nights. It did meet all our needs.

Location

The location was not for me.

Staff

The staff could have been a little more helpful, but they were nice. It is a small hotel so there isnt too many people there who can help you with simple things like calling a cab or helping you negotiate with a Tuk Tuk driver (which in all other hotels we stayed, we were assisted with).

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotels is impeccably clean and the rooms while on the small size and confortable.

Kantary Hotel Ayutthaya

Fun hotel with excellent rooms and a rooftop pool with a view. Great restaurant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were beyond spacious, really clean and confortable. Excellent choice of hotels

Thai Akara - Lanna Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

I love this hotel. The location was excellent, everything was close by and an easy walk. The days were hot so the pool while a little small was really a nice treat. The pool and restaurant staff was lovely, engaging and helpful. They remembered us and try to make sure we had a good time. I love the hotel style with its airiness and decorations. But it was really the location that made it great.

Authenticity & Character

Charming, modern with loads of traditional character. Extremely convenient and fun.

Location

The hotel is on a tiny side street and is very inconspicuous. You could miss it if you don't know it is there. The hotel is spacious and so very confortable. In close proximity to absolutely anything you may want. Close to temples, city center, night markets, food markets, restaurants, bars, laundromats (the hotel offers this service, but right next door for a fraction of the price you can have everything washed and delivered to you in the same day), spas, little tiny Thai Massage places (don't pay for the fancy ones, cause these small ones are a jewel). Really great location.

Staff

The pool and restaurant staff was amazing. We didn't really interact much with the rest of them, we didn't need to but i am sure they are also lovely! The pool staff knew our order, were engaging without being intrusive, always attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Really confortable, tidy, immaculately clean.

Beyond Resort Krabi

Krabi

I really wanted to love this place, but it is a bit rundown. It needs some TLC, a coat of paint and some more maintenance. However, I loved the beach area, the pool was fun and the staff was the nicest people we have encountered. The staff made up any shortcomings the hotel had. But I was expecting more, and I was a little disappointed by it. I spoke with the manager, and he told me they are starting renovations in the summer of 2023. So, trust but verify that the reno has been completed. If yes, then try it. If not, then depending on what you are looking for give it a try. Since we spent most of our time out of the resort, we didn't miss much but if you are a resort type of person be aware of its shortcomings. The restaurant food is a little generic, the drinks are not the best, the furnishings in the rooms and common areas are outdate and need to be upgraded. The overall look is rundown, it seriously need painting and the palm trees need to be replaced since many are dead. The rooms are weirdly spacious, but there is no airflow to the bathroom, which gets ridiculously hot and humid with a very uncomfortable smell, which we could not pinpoint where it was coming from. It was really somewhat sad, because I can picture it in its better days and I can see the potential for it to be much more. But the staff!!! The staff is amazing, hospitable, caring, serviceable, attentive and I can go on and on how incredibly nice they were.

Authenticity & Character

It has seen better days. This leaves much to be desired.

Location

The beach is really nice, you just need to wait for high tide and you can walk for miles. It was lovely! Very accessible and the staff helped us to arrange transporation and tours. You can just walk out and will find little taxi, tuk tuk stands. Walking disatance on the beach are other bars and restaurants all with amazing views. I like that the area we were in was quite and didnt have the overwhelming hecticness of Ao Nang or Raily Beach.

Staff

Lovely people all of them.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It wasn't unclean, it is just that a place that is rundown makes you feel a certain way. It was confortable with some question marks. I do adminer trying to save enegery but this made the rooms really hot and uncomfortable when you arrive and I have no idea what was up with the bathrooms. I guess it is just poor desing. The comun areas especially the lobby really need better ventilation and an investment in better more powerful fans. I understand the open concepts but it was uncomfortably hot and the tiny celling fans barely blew any air. The furniture is outdated so that contributes to the overall feeling that the hotel is past its prime.

Activity Reviews

Phi Phi Island By Joining Speedboat

Krabi

They are beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide for the joining tour was very nice. He made sure we were confortable and he was funny to boot!

Transport

The speed boat are really confortable.

Golden Triangle - Chiang Rai Sightseeing & Art

Chiang Rai

This was so fun!!! I cant believe how corky some of the places we went to. So creative and a great combination of modern and spiritual with a touch of irreverent and fun while still absolutely beautiful. Impresive array to talent in the best possible way. White temple and black house are a must see while in Chiang Rai.

Quality of Experience

So much fun!!!

Bangkok - Ayutthaya

Thailand

I loved this place, but please go there first and then to the summer palace. Timing is everything and when you are visiting in the middle of the summer this should be taken into consideration. This place is magical and should be appreciate.

Quality of Experience

Really good

Food

We ate at the hotel and Annie (bless her soul) bought us all sort of disserts, drinks and snacks, which were absolutely delicious. I took them with me and munch on them for the remainder of the trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved our driver and guide (Annie). So much fun and kind. Annie even bought me a fan because I was overheated and uncomfortable. She was the best!

Transport

Those vans are great!!! So confortable and spacious, I guess next time I will travel by land if they are available.

Morning Alms Giving & Jungle Temple

Chiang Mai

This was my favorite day along with the visit to Doi Inthanon. The jungle temple is so beautiful, so serene, so different. This is more of a spiritual experience. The temple is not as grandiose as the ones in the cities but it has such a vibrancy and quietness. The jungle, mountains and design is a rest for the soul.

Quality of Experience

A lot of this had to do with our guide, she was patient and lovely, she welcomed every question and was insightful and kind.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both driver and guide (Mona) were fantastic. I can say enough good things about Mona. She was great, non intrusive and never pushy. She was insightful and knowledgeable but not stuffy and always kind and fun. We really enjoyed our time with her. She was open and welcomed all our questions, she was great at explaining us and giving us background especially related to Buddhism and the temples without being preaching or judgmental. She really made us feel very confortable. We really recommend her

Transport

Loved our driver and our van. Van is spacious and very well kept, inmaculate and clean. They provided for any need, had cool water at hand all the time. It was great.

Doi Inthanon National Park - A Nature Walk and Culture

Chiang Mai

What a fun day and break from all the temple sight seeing. The park was lovely and the waterfalls beautiful. The treck was not difficult (but there were some steep stairs). We loved getting coffee and having lunch at the Karen village. The twin chedis were quite a contrast to the lovely walk and beautiful natrue. The waterfalls were my favorite part.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Four Islands by Longtail boat Joining tour

Krabi

We didn't get the speedboat for this, we got the long tail boat. We had a lot of fun but boy the crowds! It is still amazing and a must do!

Hello,

I booked a trip for myself (36), my three children (17, 13, 11) and my Elderly Father (73) for about ten days in Thailand. During that time frame we spent time around Bangkok, Chiang Mai and one day south of Bangkok for "snorkeling".

I think the itinerary on paper was generally well set up, but the delivery and the guide were mediocre at times. I would rate the entire experience a seven out of ten (70%) which is slightly better than 3/5 stars. Had our last final day not been so bad and inefficient, I may have felt differently and given this experience 4/5 stars and not been so critical of our guide.

Our guide on the ground, named Ken, was playful and funny, but often sloppy and did not always listen effectively. For example, on multiple occasions I asked him to slow down and speak about the history of various things to my Father, rather than speaking to my children who were up front when we were walking. I also told him to speak louder and towards my Father, but he rarely listened and I gave up after awhile. My children were not interested in the history, but my Father would have soaked up everything happily.

On another occasion we missed the tour of an old temple (it was closing down as we arrived late) and had to rush through a cool festival because we had spent too much time stopping at coffee shops along the way. When I complained to Ken afterwards, he tried to blame this on us rather than taking responsibility for not communicating effectively; he also spent a bunch of time himself getting free internet at KFC while we were searching for him. A good guide would have spoken to us about the timelines and made sure we understood the consequences of spending additional time at multiple stoppages; a good guide would not have contributed to such delays along the way either. I was very disappointed that we didn't get to eat/shop at the festival and spend more time around the old temple.

Ken also loved singing and often sang the same song about "The train is coming here, Baby!" over and over. And over. It was redundant and annoying each and every day, and when I politely asked him to stop, he seemed to think it was funny and often continued. I wasn't impressed, and days later I can still hear his annoying voice singing this particular song.

On the final full day that we had in Thailand in Bangkok, we were supposed to go skydiving out of town, followed up by snorkeling. We had Ken arrange things with the skydiving business over the phone, who told us it was important to get there a few minutes before they opened around 7:55am the next day. Ken arranged for us to be picked up from the hotel at 6:15am, and we ended up arriving at 9:20am about an hour and a half late. The consequence was that there were 40 people ahead of us upon arriving, and given the other plans we had during the day, it was impossible or us to do the skydiving. What made matters worse was that the skydive area was 1.5 hours out of the way from our snorkeling activity route, so we ended up wasting 3 hours on the road for nothing, getting the kids excited for nothing, and wasting the additional time lining things up and doing research the day before. When I complained to the tour provider on WhatsApp about this terrible occurrence, they offered to take us out for dinner, which turned into a cheap street food meal with Ken later that evening around 10pm (after waiting for Ken more than an hour in a loud market area; we had fun keeping ourselves busy).

In the evenings that we were free after various activities, Ken did not always make meaningful suggestions, and I often found additional activities myself. For example, Ken didn't mention the popular Night Safari in Chiang Mai, which was well-known, popular and excellent. I found this myself, asked Ken about it, and then he joined us. I do give Ken credit for always being willing to go out to evening activities with us, and I was impressed at his stamina when we were hiking and rafting on the one day. He was a good guy and I still gave him 5000 Baht as a tip at the end, but I did this more out of pity rather than genuinely feeling as though he had earned this for being excellent. Had Ken listened more and been more diligent, some key issues could have been easily avoided.

As for the planning itself, the "snorkeling" was terrible. We boated to a single island, then myself and two sons went on a different small boat to a larger boat which had five people and a bunch of gear just a couple hundred feet from the shore. The waters were not clear and began burning our skin immediately. My youngest got out right away, while my eldest son and I tried to make the most of the opportunity for a few more minutes. When we got back on the boat, someone had a green cream there waiting for us because they knew of the terrible water conditions. I still have rashes on both armpits and it still itches and hurts. We wanted to leave shortly thereafter, and all five of those on the snorkeling boat left along with us. I don't want to know how much we paid for this entire experience, but I'm sure it was quite a bit considering the van ride to the first boat (two hours from our hotel), the boat ride to the island (25 minutes), the additional boat ride to the bigger boat (5 minutes), and then the boat ride back (5 minutes) with all the people who were there only for us. Terrible.

The last negative thing I'll say is that I emphasized the importance to Kimkim for us to spend some time with an indigenous group in their local surroundings somewhere, and this wasn't done well. We simply walked through a village of Karen people, they tried to sell us trinkets they didn't even make themselves for five minutes, and we quickly left thereafter. There was no showing us their daily lives or culture or anything meaningful or fun or memorable.

All that being said, the temples throughout the trip were amazing. The hiking and bamboo rafting down the river in the same day was great. The elephant experience was cool, although it wasn't as good as others I had done in the past (in Thailand) where we learned about buddhism and were allowed to ride the elephants (just one person per elephant without a carriage; I don't view this as being harmful to the elephant). Staying at the hotel along the river was awesome; we were the only people crazy enough to swim in the fast current in the morning a few times.

Ken helped us navigate a lot, and we felt like he was a family member by the end of the trip. I learned a lot about Thailand, as this is the first time I was here for more than a week and the first time I had money to pay for a guide and more experiences. The next time I go, I'll use the experience of this trip to be more efficient and will certainly return to Chiang Mai. I think I would fly directly to Chiang Mai and just do three of four sets of tours without going through someone like Kimkim again, unless I went somewhere new and was convinced the experience would be better.

I feel bad being so brutally honest about Ken and some of my negative experiences, but I feel Kimkim really let us down this time and I will likely not use them again if this isn't rectified in one way or another. When I utilized the company in Colombia our guide and experiences were basically flawless, so I had higher expectations to say the least.

The trip was amazing! Working with Lacey to plan exactly what we wanted to do was one of the easiest processes. She was very responsive no matter what day it was. (does she ever get a day off?) She was patient with me as I had to check with other travellers to answer her questions sometimes. She was very knowledgeable and gave us great advice on hotels as well. It was great that she gave us choices.

Pom in Bangkok was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. He had a great sense of humour and could answer all of our questions. The W22 hotel was in a great location for walking around Chinatown. We moved through the sights quickly and efficiently and he knew where to get the best souvenirs, how to barter and where it was appropriate and he found us all the great foods to eat. I felt like we ate our way through Thailand.

Mona was fantastic, she was also very knowledgeable, answered all of our questions. She offered so much information about Chiang Mai and the surrounding area. We wished we had more time there. The Thai Akara is a beautiful hotel and we spent some time relaxing in the courtyard by the pool. The cooler weather was a welcome change from Bangkok. The Elephant Sanctuary was definitely a highlight for all of us in my group. We met some wonderful young people on our ride out there and back. One thing we were not expecting was the red taxi ride out to the sanctuary. We had been in air conditioned coaches all along and then to ride in the back of the red taxi was unpleasant. The street food tour was amazing with so much great food. Mona and our driver Aude were so friendly. Mona's tips about the night market and the accessibility from our hotel on foot was great. The temple and the blessings by monks were both very spiritual for me and a great way to start the day. The extra stop at a cute little coffee shop was a nice touch and it was nice to get to know Mona a little bit on a personal level. We will definitely come back to this area of Thailand and spend more time.

Phuket was hot and humid. The Cape Penwa hotel was divine. The breakfast buffet was huge, the beach was lovely and the service excellent. We only had limited contact with Kai because of the type of experiences we had there but she was able to ensure we had a driver when we needed one. She was very responsive to all my questions via what's app throughout our stay and got us tickets to the cabaret on the last night. She was also very knowledgeable and so helpful.
The island and snorkeling tour we went on was enjoyable but we were surprised at the size of the boat and group with us. We were all given a coloured wristband when we arrived but no further instruction. We almost missed our briefing and the group leaving because no one called out colours or anything. There was a large, loud group at the back of the boat that never moved and so some of us had to fight for space inside out of the sun. (one of them laid down in the back and went to sleep so we had to climb over her to get off the boat) There was not enough room out of the sun for all of the people on the boat. The snorkeling was great for us that are experienced snorkelers but if you were a first time snorkeler, there was no instruction, rules, what to do and what not to do. The masks were handed out and we jumped in. The buffet was horrible. The food was edible but it was small, no service and we were left alone. The tour could have been much shorter, we had way too much time at each stop and the beaches had no lounge chairs or anything. We would not do this tour again.

We absolutely loved our trip to Thailand and will definitely return for a longer visit.

Hotel Review

Thai Akara - Lanna Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

Beautiful, well situated hotel. The courtyard area around the pool was quiet, and the pool bar staff were attentive. Breakfast buffet wasn't large but had lots of choices as well as a small menu for eggs made fresh. I would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Charming, courtyard around the pool like an Oasis

Location

Options for restaurants and bars, and the night market within walking distance.

Staff

Always helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable and the bathroom had both a tub and a shower

Activity Reviews

Manohra Dinner cruise

Bangkok

Food was incredible 5 star for sure, views spectacular and staff were able to answer questions about what we were seeing as we floated past.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charming Night And Night Street Food Tasting

Chiang Mai

Temple was beautiful. Food was great, Mona was helpful and knowledgeable. We were stuffed by the time we were done eating.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mona and Aude were beyond helpful and friendly.

Transport

Morning Alms Giving & Jungle Temple

Chiang Mai

This was an experience like none other we have had. The temple in Chiang Mai was so different from the flashy gold ones in Bangkok. We really loved this experience and the blessings from the monks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Afternoon session)

Chiang Mai

Words cannot express how we feel about the elephant sanctuary. This sanctuary is a no riding sanctuary which is an important distinction for us. These elephants are rescued from working and begin ridden. We fed them, interacted with them, got up close. We made and fed them their medicine, Ken was great at teaching us lots about the elephants, and we all learned new things. We watered them and had a big water fight. It was simply a great afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff at the sanctuary were amazing

Transport

Did not know about the red taxi and it was hot and uncomfortable

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

This was a wild ride for sure. The tuk tuks are an adventure in themselves but we had a great guide and great food all evening long. We started in a restaurant for some Thai food and then went out on the street which was much different than it had been during the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

All the food was so good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pom was amazing and got us all the food we wanted to try

Transport

Tuk Tuks are fun

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

The markets were like nothing we had experienced before. We had so much fun, and bought original artwork, souvenirs and elephant pants. You have to get some elephant pants, great for going in temples and so comfy for the flight home.

Quality of Experience

Food

ate all kinds of new foods

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pom was amazing, knew so much and helped us buy and barter.

Transport

Lot's of walking, so make sure you have good shoes on

A huge thank you to Lacey and her entire team for making our trip to Thailand so special. We had very little time to plan, so left all of the details to Lacey. She did not disappoint. Everything -- from the hotels, to tours, to guides, to drivers -- was wonderful and so well coordinated that we got to enjoy the short time we had to spend in such a wonderful country. We specifically enjoyed our private guides, Pom in Bangkok and Frankie in Chiang Mai, who made the trip particularly interesting for our entire family, including our two teenage boys. We would easy use Lacey and Exotic Voyages again and recommend them to friends and family, without hesitation.

Again, thank you, Lacey.

Hotel Reviews

The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

U Chiang Mai Hotel

Chiang Mai

Loved this boutique hotel. Beautiful rooms, great location and wonderful drinks by the pool. The staff was also extremely friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the center of the old city in Chiang Mai.

Staff

They were so friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket Suites

Phuket

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel (Ex: Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great for easy access to the airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is clean, but dated and in need of an update.

Activity Reviews

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Pom and our driver Sumit were excellent. Highly recommend both

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Encounter oriental gastronomy in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Frankie, was wonderful!

Transport

John Gray's sea canoe - Hong by Starlight - Joining excursion

Phuket

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lacey was always very quick to answer and provided excellent service. She custom made an itinerary based on exactly what we requested. Local guides were helpful, at our service, and provided many helpful tips and guided our trip marvelously. We did need to check about being notified of flight changes within the itinerary as we were not the ones who had actually booked the flights. Hotel selections went from good, to better, to amazing.

Hotel Reviews

W22 by Burasari

Bangkok

Friendly service, stylish boutique hotel close to Chinatown. The rooms and housekeeping were fine. Corridors were not airconditioned, so they got quite warm. There is a very cool motorcycle museum on the ground floor. Breakfast selection was serviceable but not great. Coffee could have been stronger.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thai Akara - Lanna Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

Great looking property. Rooms were huge - ours was adjacent to the pool. Service throughout was great and breakfast had a very good selection. The pool bar, for being a hotel bar, was very reasonably priced. The location was also amazing for the night market, and being within the "old fortress walls" meant the hotel was in the heart of the area, handy for the weekend night market.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cape Panwa Hotel

Phuket

Both a pool and lovely private beach! Breakfast selection was huge, although if you want an americano (or any coffee other than the regular drip) you have to pay extra. Many restaurants on site, and the free shuttle between the hotel and sister property was very handy. More food selection in town, including nightly street food vendors. The location is ideal, especially if you're looking for a quieter spot. I didn't check on diving, but there are many excursions the hotel can help you book.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Afternoon session)

Chiang Mai

This is a life-changing activity! The ride there was long, and the road up to the sanctuary is a bit rough and winding, but it is well worth it! We learned how to greet elephants, then fed, bathed and helped put more mud on them (this helps prevent sunburn and helps them cool down!) We would have appreciated knowing we were in a red-truck taxi and not the airconditioned van. These are simply amazing creatures and your support helps to keep their sanctuary going. And NO RIDING!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Letting us know it is a red-truck taxi, no AC. And that it is a long trip there.

From the beginning Lacey pulled two vacation options for us. We settled on one and had a few revisions along the way. We were traveling with our 11 year old daughter and long time family friend visiting from the U.S. since we live in Singapore. I explained to Lacey the importance of 5-star accommodations and experiences. She did not disappoint. The suites and two villas were incredible!! She made sure we had first class private transportation and guides. The pre-arranged meals were out of this world and authentic with personal touches. Our first guide - Toto - was so much fun and full of personality. He was a true delight. Our second guide in Krabi - Aos - was very knowledgeable about all of the local trees, plants and was amazing through our jungle and hot springs hikes. When we decided not to do the 3rd adventure in the afternoon (as we wanted to enjoy our villa and private pool) it was no problem at all. Our last days in Phuket, Lacey made a last minute change in our request of private boat and island hopping/cave adventures. It was unbelievable. The staff and guides were just warm and fun personalities, completely customizing our day into the sunset. Our transport on the last day escorted us all the way through the airport, ensuring our easy access to the airline. We cannot wait to use KimKim again for our next vacation!

Lacy helped us plan our trip and she was extremely professional, timely, and flexible. Even while we were on the trip, she would let us know about changes in our air transport.

We began our trip in Bangkok with our friendly and informative guide, Pom. He was amenable to adjusting to our energy levels, especially when it got very hot. Pom was a food expert and helped us find many delightful places.

We loved our evening dinner cruise. It was the right atmosphere for us, Quiet, and great food.

Mona in Chiangmai was a superb guide. She was the right balance of entertaining, encouraging, and good humored. Chiangmai was my absolute favorite.

The jungle elephant sanctuary was a once in a lifetime experience and highly ethical in their treatment of the elephants. Be prepared for a windy hot ride to get there, but the experience is amazing.

I’m not sure how many wonderful sunsets you can see in Phuket, but they were beautiful every day. The speedboat tour of the islands was a very long day, but worth it for all the beauty.

I can’t wait to go back again!

Hotel Reviews

Thai Akara - Lanna Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

Charming, quietly tucked in Chiangmai. This hotel is a little oasis. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soaking tub and we’ll appointed

W22 by Burasari

Bangkok

Charming and close to Chinatown with easy access to street food and shopping. The room had everything I needed, but the breakfast was just ok.

Authenticity & Character

Cute rooms

Location

Close to shopping and food

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast could have more options

Cape Panwa Hotel

Phuket

Absolutely perfect! Easy beach access, great buffet, and the hotel provided shuttles to shopping and street food vendors. The staff was always ready to help and incredibly friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manohra Dinner cruise

Bangkok

Amazing food, views, very friendly staff. The best mango sticky rice I had on this trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Charming and lovely! The James Bond boat was comfortable but not easy to get in and out of. The markets were very cute but a bit higher in price than China Town.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

One of my favorite adventures! The variety of food and authenticity was delicious. Our guide, Pom, knew many local distinct dishes. Some of the best chicken satay! Ending at the small roof top bar was lovely 🥰

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charming Night And Night Street Food Tasting

Chiang Mai

By far my favorite street food experience! Less busy than Bangkok and more delicious! Best pad Thai on the trip and Mona, our guide, was an excellent care taker. This also included a charming small wat that truly revealed local culture as a favorite spot for family photos.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Afternoon session)

Chiang Mai

I can’t even articulate how amazing this adventure was! The taxi ride wasn’t my favorite after being in air conditioned vans, but…the elephants 😍

Quality of Experience

Food

It was OK. Not fine cuisine.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides at the park were lovely.

Transport

The ride was hot and uncomfortable

We would highly recommend Lacey from Kimkim, she really listened to what we did and didn't want to do and built our itinerary around us. She was very responsive through out our trip and answered our queries very quickly. The hotels that she chose for us worked well. All of our tour guides were excellent and Lacey's recommended tours were brilliant, we saw and did activities that we would never have done had we done our own itinerary.

Activity Reviews

Love Chiang Mai cooking experience (Morning session)

Chiang Mai

When we were picked up from our hotel we were given a menu to choose the food we wanted to cook, then we were taken to the market to buy the food. The venue was excellent and the guide and his support team made our day. Even if you don't cook or like cooking you would find it difficult not to enjoy this experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phi Phi Island By Joining Speedboat

Krabi

We saw some beautiful islands, beaches and coves.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

John Gray's sea canoe - Hong by Starlight - Joining excursion

Phuket

A really fun and different day out

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hua Hin - Kanchanaburi sightseeing

Thailand

It is weird to say that going to the war cemetery, the death museum and learning more about how the bridge over the river Kwai was built would be an enjoyable experience. It was and we would recommend

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fantastic time all-around and appreciate Lacey's services putting together an excellent itinerary.

All of the activities booked were great, we wished we had a little more time in Bangkok to experience more (maybe next time). Our guide A in Bangkok was awesome - she thought of everything but wasn't overbearing, we will miss her dearly. All of the transportation (cars/flights) booked were great, everyone was punctual and was easy to find. Our favorite hotel was Naka Phuket - we would absolutely stay here again, it was serene and the views were amazing and it wasn't too far from Bangla Night Market. We enjoyed SO in Bangkok and Melia in Chang Mia as well - we would stay here again but would also be open to staying at other places. In regard to Novotel, while we can appreciate the proximity and convenience - we would not stay here again. The room had a very bad smell, the mattress was uncomfortable, and mosquitos/bugs were everywhere.

High-level of things that were booked for us: railway market, floating market, street food tour, temple visit, yacht to phi phi islands.

Would 100% utilize KimKim services again - Lacey was very responsive before and during the trip.

Seldom have my wife and I experienced such a well-organized trip as we did on our 18-day journey to Cambodia and Thailand. Our local travel specialist, Lacey Ngo, was tireless in proposing options of things to see and do and places to eat and sleep. She promptly responded to our many questions, regardless of time of the day or day of the week. She professionally accommodated our many requests to add and delete items on the itinerary. We were very impressed by the knowledge and helpfulness of our guides, generally pleased with our hotels and amazed by the variety of experiences Lacey recommended for our enjoyment. We would most definitely recommend her as a local travel specialist to anyone traveling to southeast Asia.

Activity Review

Siem Reap Countryside by Jeep

Siem Reap

This tour was a highlight of our recent trip to Cambodia. We were very pleased with our driver and with our guide, Hong. They showed us a variety of places - a local produce and fish market, a family farm, a rice wine distillery, an oyster mushroom farm, a buddhist temple, a lotus pond. Hong was a very personable, outgoing guide. Her English was excellent. She shared her experiences growing up in a fisherman's family with a mother who spent all day selling the fish at the local market. She thoughtfully answered our many questions. She and the driver made detours and spontaneous stops to help us to better understand this part of Cambodia's countryside. We concluded the tour with a sunset picnic surrounded by rice fields. Magic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok: Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside = great, modern highrise hotel, excellent breakfast buffet.
Guide for Bangkok and River Kwai (4 days) = Chanphen ("Toon") was EXCELLENT.
Favourite Bangkok sites = ride in Bangkok Canal and Night Food tour by TukTuk. The food and flower markets were very interesting. The palaces and temples were beautiful BUT were maybe too much to see in 2 days.
Less favourite things = Asiatique Shopping Complex was disappointing as many shops had not reopened after the pandemic. The weekend market is definitely not something I would recommend. The items were junky and the shops were all repetitive. We WERE lucky to have lunch at Guay New Kua Gai restaurant - Michelin star!

Rom Hub Train Market was interesting to see but the Taka Floating Market was even better!
The long tail boat ride to the River Kwai Jungle Rafts Floating Hotel was very scenic.
River Kwai: The Floating Hotel was rustic, quiet and good for a short stay. Not much to do there. We were there 2 nights. Our visit to the lava cave was a welcome activity away from the resort.
The food was very good.
Returning to Bangkok - The Bridge, museum , and cemetery on the River Kwai were "must see" historical sites.

Chiang Mai: Rimping Village Hotel (3 nights) had wonderful rooms and breakfast buffet.
Our very best excursion was to the elephant sanctuary. We did not want to leave!
The white water rafting that followed was a fun adventure. It was not a physical challenge yet had some thrilling moments.
Our guide for our remaining time in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai was Jeda. She was also EXCELLENT.
Doi Inthanon National Park was not a "must see". It was not a hike but a stroll and rather unremarkable.
The pagodas and gardens were lovely but it was a long way to go for just that.

The Thai cooking class at Bann Hong Nual was a highlight. Even the two males in our group had fun. Umporn, our instructor, was very lovely and engaging. We would do this again.

Chiang Rai: Imperial River House (2 nights) = very nice rooms and great buffet breakfast.
We stopped at more temples and pagodas on our drive to Chiang Rai. Our interest was waining by then...until we visited Was Wrong Khun (aka The White Temple) was absolutely stunning. It was a "must see".
The visit to the tea plantation was interesting. The visit to Doi Mae Salong , Chiang Saen, and The Golden Triangle were unremarkable.

Krabi: Peace Laguna Resort (4 nights) = a rather run-down hotel. The rooms were not clean and the linens were stained and old. The most disappointing accommodation in all. Fortunately, the breakfast buffet was good.
Phi Phi Island Excursion was not good. Hoards of people in the water and on the island "walk". We would not recommend this.
The Rain Forest Discovery Tour did not meet our expectation. The rainforest, pools and waterfalls were not much to see. The Tiger Cave Temple on our way back to the hotel was ok but not a highlight.
Krabi was a busy beach resort city which is great if you simply want to sit by a pool or go to the beach. Many good restaurants.
We had a great mix of activities and thoroughly enjoyed Thailand.

Our trip to Thailand was excellent! We did everything we wanted... started off at Bangkok with our guide Jack, ver attentive and nice, gave us all the must do's in the city and during our visit to the grand palace, floating and train markets he gave us all the history of each place and took a lot of pictures for us. In Cambodia we were with Vannak, who was also excellent, smiling all the time, we learned a lot about Cambodia during our time with him, very caring. Ankor thom and ankor wat are a must.
Sutheeporn in Phuket, we did day trip tour to Khao Sok national park, experience was very good as well. We are very great full for choosing KimKim to plan our trip.

Activity Reviews

Full day Khao Sok safari (private trasfer and private activity) with lunch from Phuket

Phuket

Our visit to Khao Sok was a bit different than what we thought it would be. Early morning they took us to the Tsunami memorial which was nice, then they had told us that we would do a 1h hike along with elephants and the took us to Wassana Elephant park... there was no hike, it was a place with 2 elephants tied up with chains to palm trees, they were skinny and dehydrated, a guy with a pointy spear made him do tricks like playing the harmonica, dancing and kicking coconuts. I had read al over the internet that if you were going to see elephants you should go to a sanctuary . I would've thought Kim Kim would know something like this. I strongly recommend to stop taking your customers to Wassana. Otherwise the monkey cave and bamboo rafting were really nice and fun. All pictures of khao sok on the internet show off the Damn, I thought we would see it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides were a little lost, the had to stop to ask for directions for almost every spot we went

Transport

Full Day Tour to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

We really enjoyed our trip to Angkor. Mr Vannak gave us a great tour. I would recommend every one who visits Cambodia to make this stop in siem reap.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Bangkok

Our visit to the train market and floating markets were great and very fun. They did a stop at a sugar factory in between markets and we learned about the process of how they make sugar off coconuts. We ate at the floating markets and it was very tasty! Most shops had the same tourist market typical stuff.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We used Kimkim to help us with a guide for our few days in Bangkok. Our guide "Jack" was most informative. We covered all the Bangkok highlights, Jim Thompson house, Flower Market, Grand Palace, Long tail boat ride, Wat Arun; Evening Tuk tuk food tour, Maeklong Railway and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
I thought Jack did a great job. He and the driver even took us to the airport and Jack made sure we got checked in and showed us where to go.
My ONLY suggestion would be, I would have preferred a different service provider for the Food Tour. Otherwise, I thought it was all great.

What a great trip! After three years of COVID lockdown, this was our first vacation. We spent 18 days in Thailand and Cambodia. It was an outstanding experience. We couldn't believe how smoothly things ran. Pickups were on time, the accommodations were great and the guides knowledgeable and funny. Being the independent travel sort in the past, we have planned most trips ourselves but figured after three years we would be rusty and we had never been to this part of the world before. Emilie Khautisen, our KimKim trip planner did an outstanding job of arranging transfers, hotels and guides. It's easy to forget how important this is. For example, in many popular areas, there was no parking available. Our driver would drop us and the guide off and pickup us up later - no hassles. In Thailand, our guide, Tui stayed with us until we got on the overnight train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai. It was late - 10PM and the train only stops at the station about 5 minutes. The train car numbers were in Thai. We would never have figured it out fast enough to avoid missing our ride. As it was, we had to run to the end of the train. Tui grabbed a bag and ran with us. This kind of help is invaluable. Local knowledge is priceless. We also had the flexibility to change the itinerary on the fly since it was just us, our guide and a driver most of the time.
We would highly recommend KimKim to anyone who wants a great travel adventure with minimum hassle!

Hotel Reviews

The FloatHouse River Kwai

Chang Wat Kanchanaburi

What an incredible place! We wish we had more time there. you get to the hotel by boat and are greeted with a cool drink upon arrival. The floathouses are tethered to the bank and to each other in the fast flowing river. They go up and down a bit when a boat passes by and there is just slight movement that gently rocks you to sleep. The restaurant was also excellent. What a nice place for a tropical vacation!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aonang Princeville Villa Resort and Spa

Krabi

The hotel location is outstanding, right across the street from the beach and all scheduling for tourist attractions. It's very busy here, being a tourist town. The lobby, pool and restaurant are clean and inviting. The was even a complimentary afternoon Thai pancake bar available. That said, the hotel has seen better days. Our room on the third floor (no elevator) was comfortable and had a nice view of the pool but the housekeeping service left a lot to be desired. The shower was dirty, the shower drain was clogged, the toilet seat didn't fit the toilet and in the morning, if you like to take showers then, it's a challenge as the water turns off and on in spurts. The water pressure gets better in the afternoon. The most frustrating part though was getting the hotel to replace towels. We started out with two bath towels and two hand towels. We were there for four nights and each day, we had one less towel even though we went to the front desk about this several times. By the last day, we had one bath towel between us. Only on our last night did we get back to 4 towels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping

Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom, an IHG Hotel

Bangkok

Comfortable room and great breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff stored our luggage for two days while we were in Cambodia.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Treeline Urban Resort

Siem Reap

This is truly a five-star hotel. Outstanding comfort and a great cooked to order breakfast each morning. Beautiful swimming pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rimping Village Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Very clean and comfortable and the staff was extremely helpful. The location is just across the river from the night market and there is another market nearby. Lots of street food available. There are even bicycles to check out if you wish.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chanalai Romantica Resort

Phuket

This place has a gorgeous, big crystal clear pool. The water was nice and cool. Important, given that Phuket can be very hot. It provides a nice respite from the bustle of the Pata Beach area which is very crowded. Our room was spacious and very comfortable. We were greeted with a welcome drink and ice cream and the staff arranged a city tour for us. This would make a great honeymoon place! This place was the best thing about Phuket for us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Legend Chiang Rai Boutique River Resort & Spa

Chieng Rai

This is very large. Clean and quiet and the breakfast is great with an overview of the garden and river. There are even chairs to sit on by the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya Historical City / Overnight train to Chiang Mai

Thailand

There is a lot to see in Kanchanaburi and thanks to Tui, our guide, we got to see a good portion of it. Loved Erawan NP. The falls are gorgeous and the water felt great! The fish like to nibble at your toes. We visited the JEATH Museum and walked over the Bridge on the River Kwai and stood back as a train went by. We then drove to Hellfire Pass and visited the museum and the took the trail to the rock cut where the prisoners worked in horrific conditions. After that we stayed the night at the Floathouse Hotel which you get to by longtail boat. We also visited the jewelry and food markets. In the morning we got to visit a cave with a Buddhist shrine before setting out for Ayutthaya. In Ayutthaya, Tui explained the history of many of the temples and took us to a great street market. Later we shared a beer with her and our driver at a nice restaurant before heading off to the train station for our overnight train to Chiang Mai. She stay with us the whole time. Good thing she did as the train was an hour late (apparently this is common) and only stops for 5 minutes at the station. Our tickets listed the car numbers but unfortunately for us, they were written in Thai on the cars. Tui got us on the right car before the train left (it took some running with her grabbing one of our bags). We couldn't have done it without her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had an excellent 6 day trip to Bangkok. I was able to chose my budget, choose from 1/2 day & day tours, have transportation to & from the hotel & the assurance that Emilie would be able to answer any questions.
I enjoyed my stay at the Grand Sathorn, nice big room with bathtub, lovely staff, lots of choices at breakfast and wonderful rooftop pool.
I liked that I had a free day to orientate myself on arrival. I then enjoyed 3 tours. My tour guides Ping & Nana were kind, knowledgeable & took my wishes into consideration- I like to take lots of photos & they were very accommodating.
I would recommend Kimkim to anyone wanting to do a semi independent tour.

Hotel Review

The Grand Sathorn

Bangkok

I liked this hotel- I had a big room with a fridge & bathtub-bottled water was supplied daily. The breakfast buffet was diverse & the staff were very accommodating. The neighbourhood is relatively safe with local shops, laundry, massage places & a 7-11. The rooftop pool & patio were great. My only complaint was the smoking- one day there were people at the 4 corners of the pool on chaise loungers all smoking. I think there should be no smoking at poolside & maybe a dedicated area i a far corner of the patio.

Authenticity & Character

Big rooms

Location

Safe neighbourhood & near the river & the metro

Staff

Very cheerful & accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping was efficient

Activity Reviews

Mahachai and Mae Klong Markets Trainspotting & Amphawa Floating Markt

Bangkok

Fabulous trip-8 modes of transportation!! My tour guide Ping was excellent & knowledgeable & a delight to be with- the Amphawa market with the lifting of the awnings to let the train go by was the highlight! Lunch at the floating market was really good!

Quality of Experience

Knowledgeable guide

Food

Pad Thai & papaya salad! Very good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As above

Transport

Diverse-8 different transportation vehicles!

Canals of Bangkok & Temple Delight

Bangkok

Loved this tour on the river & into the canals. Liked the temple we visited & the artists colony. Lunch was good & the the tour went to the reclining Buddha & the Grand palace-both are amazing!

Quality of Experience

Loved it- learned a lot!

Food

Good lunch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nana was excellent- knowledgeable, kind & accommodating

Transport

Long tail boat was great!

Flavors of Chinatown by Night

Bangkok

Loved this tour- was not sure what to expect. As it was so close to Chinese New Year there was lots of celebrations in the street. Food tasting was good- lived the soup!

Quality of Experience

Variety of sights seen

Quality of Experience

Variety of sights seen

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ping was excellent & knowledgeable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ping was excellent & knowledgeable

Transport

Tuk tuk to Chinatown

Transport

Til tuk to Chinatown

amazing trip! 10/10
Our guides Lee and Tar were fantastic! They were both very knowledgeable. When our flights were changed Ashley are travel agent made the necessary changes quickly. Ashley checked on regularly via whatsapp to make sure our trip was smooth. Our guides would remind us of what was appropriate clothing to wear the next day, and when possible gave is your options. This trip was tailored to is perfectly, I only wish we could have stayed longer.

Hotel Reviews

De Charme Hotel

Amphoe Muang, Si Phum, Chiang Mai

This was a great hotel. Very close to attractions and very walkable. The staff was very helpful and made fantastic dinner recommendations. The breakfast was good every morning, the pool really was spectacular and I enjoyed sitting in the library just to unwind.

Authenticity & Character

Felt very Colonial with the pool and library

Location

walkability to Watts and Gates

Staff

great restaurant recommendations, arranged cab rides

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great room, always clean and a turn down cookie on New Years Eve

True Siam Rangnam Hotel

Phayathai, Rajthevee, Province

Great little botique hotel in the heart of bangkok. Good breakfast, excellent staff but does require cash deposit for incidentals.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had a minor mechanical issue with our room, staff handled it quickly and professionally

Activity Reviews

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Half Day Tour

Bangkok

We were able to add in the train market (based on timing) which was fantastic, Loved the floating market, we did some shopping via boat and land. Our guide (Tar) made suggestions as to what was a good price for goods.

Quality of Experience

Food

everywhere we went the food was amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

everyone was very helpful and worked with our mobility issues

Transport

clean well kept vans everyday

Join half day cooking class at Sompong

Bangkok

This was a great class. We made 4 dishes that were excellent. They also made sure there were no issues with the shellfish allergy our party has. Ashley had communicated it to the in advance and there we no problems. Loved the tiny recipe book to take home.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport