Kimkim Trip Reviews for Thailand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket Suites

Phuket

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

The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Phuket

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

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phi Phi Island By Joining Speedboat

Krabi

We saw some beautiful islands, beaches and coves.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

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 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

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 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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

Thailand was absolutely the highlight of our multi-country honeymoon experience. Every single day was unforgettable. The elephant sanctuary in Krabi is something I relive every day and need to go back to someday!! Railay Beach is absolutely breathtaking. It was such a cool experience riding up on the longtail boat! The Phi Phi Islands live up their expectation. And Patong was so much fun. Bangkok was a great way to end it! Seriously, best trip ever!!!

Hotel Reviews

Novotel Phuket Resort

Patong

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bhu Nga Thani Resort

Krabi

This hotel was everything. At first, after you ride up on the long tail boat, you don't know what to expect. But once you spend time on Railay, it exceeds expectations. It was a highlight of my trip. The surrounding areas and beaches are just incredible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Century Park Hotel

Makkasan, Ratchathewi, Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Twin Lotus Resort and Spa

Ko Lanta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Temple City, Grand Palace & Klong Tour

Bangkok

Our guide, Tanny, was the best!!!! We loved her. She is so knowledgeable, fun, and the best person. She made the tour!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ao Nang Elephant Sanctuary Half-Day Tour

Thailand

I will never forget this day for the rest of my life. The elephants are so warm and friendly. I just wanted to play with them all day. The mud bath is so fun! I cannot believe we got to bathe them. Best day ever!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day 4 Islands Tour by speed boat - Join in tour

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phuket - Phang Nga Bay round trip with Jame Bond Island

Phuket

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Speedboat Day Trip to the Phi Phi Islands

Phuket

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok bike tour 5 hours - Joint in tour

Bangkok

Great way to see parts of the city you would have never otherwise explored! And the boat rides were an added bonus!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The planning of the trip with Ashley was superb and very easy. Ashley was responsive to all of our questions. Our local guides (Lee in Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai area) and Tar (in and around Bangkok) were excellent. The guides were very knowledgeable of Thai history and very solicitous to our needs. They reacted well to slight changes we made in our itineraries (less shopping and more museum/sites). The boat ride on the Mekong River at the Golden Triangle, Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok, and the Floating Market (near Bangkok) were the highlights of the trip for me.

KimKim worked with me to build the perfect family vacation to Thailand. We refined based on our interests and needs, and ultimately, KimKim built a trip with amazing cultural experiences. Our specialist checked on us throughout the trip and was able to help schedule a new flight as needed. If you’re traveling somewhere you are unfamiliar with or you just want to hit the “easy” button, don’t hesitate to use KimKim.

Activity Review

Chiang Mai – Half day Morning visit Elephant Jungle Sanctuary join-in - Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai

A must add to any northern Thailand vacation

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I can't say enough about the KimKim process and their team. Our first trip with them was a family trip to Italy in July 2022, and everything that they either arranged or suggested was perfect for us and our expectations. Immediately following our family time in Italy, our kids (19 and 21 years old) traveled by themselves for a week under a KimKim arranged itinerary, and most recently, our kids just came back from a trip to Thailand, also coordinated through KimKim. They have proved themselves to be responsive, flexible, and reliable for each of our trips, and we have since recommended them to others.

The activities and planning provided by Martin were fantastic - we couldn't have asked for a better combination of places within the 11 days we were honeymooning in Thailand.

Having KimKim book all of these locally and provide transportation to and from was much easier than us managing it ourselves.

That being said, there were some hiccups that I think Kim Kim can improve on. It should be clear what level of service the local specialist is obligated to provide while on the trip -- as certain activities got delayed because of transportation issues. One clear example is when we landed in Surat Thani to go on a night safari in Khao Sok, we were severely delayed (1+ hour) because our driver incorrectly took another passenger! When we faced this issue, we tried communicating with Martin to fix things, but ultimately had to call multiple different kimkim lines to get the driver -- and they ultimately called a taxi to get us there. It would probably make it way easier if they just directly connected us with each local transportation driver.

I also think the digital organization of the trip on kimkim.com could benefit from having a mobile app or some place to clearly attach all of the invoices within a singular trip itinerary. Mobile App makes sense given that you are traveling but always have your phone on you. I had to get around that by uploading this all to my iCloud and managing through folders. It could also make it easier to communicate with local service providers (like drivers).

Hotel Reviews

Our Jungle Camp - Eco Resort

Tambon Klongsok, Ampur Panom, Suratthani

Staff were amazing and very helpful. Food was great, and I wish we got to stay longer!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bodhi Serene Chiang Mai Hotel (SHA Extra Plus)

Chiang Mai

Good location, needs some renovation in the rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok

Bangkok

Amazing hotel - we had a lot of fun here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

So central to everything!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Take a Thai Cooking Class

Chiang Mai

Amazing to see that we could make thai dishes ourselves!

Canals of Bangkok & Temple Delight

Bangkok

Loved this to kick off our trip!

Ancient & Hidden Ayutthaya by Bike

Bangkok

Great for people wanting to learn about Thai history!

Spend a Day with Elephants in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport