Kimkim Trip Reviews for Thailand

Our 26 day trip to Thailand and Vietnam was absolutely amazing from the moment we landed and our final departure . Sunny was the best and we loved every minute of our very moment of our adventure.

I highly recommend Sunny she was very easy to communicate with while on trip.

The hotels were great and all the guides were very knowledgeable and friendly.

We will definitely use her again

Our first guide in Thailand, Mike, was amazing. He quickly understood why we were in Thailand (for the food) and made sure we tried all the local dishes and market treats wherever we were!

Hotel Reviews

Sanctuary Pakbeng Lodge

Pakbeng

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

My Dream Boutique Resort

Luang Prabang

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Athena Cruise

Ha Long Bay

Wonderful room, terrible food

Authenticity & Character

Location

Overrun by other boats. A quiet bay would have been much nicer

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoian Central Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residence Wat Damnak

Siem Reap

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flower Garden hotel

Authenticity & Character

Êmm Hotel Saigon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cherish Hotel Hue

Hue

Activity Reviews

Full Day Lao Cooking Class (join in ) and Night Market Tour

Luang Prabang

Local Farm Visit, Waterfall & Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre

Luang Prabang

The waterfall is gorgeous but would be best experienced early before the crowds. The bear center is just sad and disappointing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Mekong Delta: Boat Ride, Local Villages, and Cycling

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

So much fun! We took many forms of transport

Transfer to Pakbeng by a boat ride along the Khong River (shared boat/ Shompoo Cruise )

Chiang Khong

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class at Red Bridge School & Walking Street Food Tour

Hoi An

Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Too cowded

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Take the Mekong River Cruise to Luang Prabang (Join-in)

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Mi

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Hanoi City Tour with Museum of Ethnology

Hanoi

Not our thing.

Explore Angkor Temples: Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm Temple and Prasat Kravan

Siem Reap

Late Afternoon Street Food Tour in Hanoi: Fermented Pork, Grilled Fish, and More

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Athena Luxury Cruise - Day 1

Thailand

This was a bit of a circus. Too many boats and people all doing the same thing. It would be better to cruise longer among the islands on our own.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An - countryside and ancient town exploration, local food taste

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Athena Luxury Cruise-Day 2

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Full Day  Cooking Class & Dong Ba Market Tour

Hue

Not done because we didn’t get picked up

Half Day Ho Chi Minh City Tour with Dong Khoi Street

Ho Chi Minh City

Not our thing

Full Day Hoi An City Tour with Thanh Ha Pottery Village

Hoi An

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of our activities went flawlessly, our accommodations were outstanding. All of our guides and hosts were very knowledgeable and service oriented.

Hotel Review

SALA Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort

PHUKET

We loved the setting, beautiful gardens and outstanding customer service. Over the top-amazing breakfast buffet

Authenticity & Character

The amazing staff.

Location

Right on a beautiful white sand beach.

Staff

Everyone made our stay special.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was checked on twice a day. I loved the special herbal drinks that they dropped off each afternoon.

Activity Reviews

Romantic Dinner on the Manohra River Cruise!

Bangkok

Perfect way to see the city. Amazing food and service,

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doi Inthanon National Park - A nature walk and culture (Kaew Mae Pan Nature Trail)

Chiang Mai

Beautiful hike

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Phi Phi Island Joining Tour

Phuket

Food

Nice lunch and snacks

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoa was with us thru the trip attentive and making sure we were comfortable and following the Kim Kim standards. Thank you Hoa your work and attentiveness were really appreciated it during our trip.

Hotel Review

The Sukhothai Bangkok

The hotel is a part of a big conglomerate of hotel chains with a big quality on customer service. This hotel lacks some of the personable and reasonable customer service. The hotel is beautiful and the areas are astonish. We were out of WiFi for ours and we call several times without fixing the problem. After it was reestablished we did not received a call let us know the service was available. The competition is fear on this field. I think with more customer detail can keep being competitive.

Authenticity & Character

Great decoration and beautiful hotel and grounds

Location

Far from the main attractions

Staff

Everyone is very nice and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and tidy

Activity Reviews

Lanna Lifestyle & Cooking Experience with A Local Family with dinner

Chiang Mai

What an experience!!!! It is authentic, dynamic and really fun! The family who is running this experience is warm, interesting and a fabulous experience! I will recommended to my friends to visit 😍

Quality of Experience

Food

I love the spicy noodle soup

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides were the best. So committed, pleasant and super fun. Specially in Chiang Mai.

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Please, do not bring customers here who wants a real experience. It is overcrowded, dirty and a purely waste of time .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pom in Bangkok was amazing, very knowledgeable about Thailand culture, royal family, and land. He was very kind and polite. He knew the best food stops and easily communicated with the locals. I would definitely recommend him and tours we did here.

The Phi phi catamaran tour was not enjoyable. Too many people , water was rough so visibility for snorkeling was not good. The cave tour and food on boat was fantastic and worth it!

Chaing Mai : Family dinner was a lot of fun and food was great, definitely recommend that. The all day trek and rafting was a lot of fun as well and the food there was good.

Tina at KimKim did an excellent job in booking the exact vacation we wanted. Very professional and responsive.

The highlight of the trip was John Gray's Hong by Starlight in Phuking ... a superb outing with excellent tour guide (Mr. Eue?) and staff. Highly recommended and worth the trip by itself.

Another highlight was our trip to the elephant sanctuary. Bang (Pang?), our tour guide was great. with great communication skills and a wicked sense of humor. Loved this excursion. Loved interacting with the elephants and learning about the sanctuary.

Our trip to the national park outside of Chiang Mai was enjoyable. Patrick, our tour guide, was very nice and friendly but his communication skills were somewhat disappointing. We were eager to learn about the area but were frustrated by the language barrier.

The speed boat trip in Phuking was okay, but I suspect it was for a younger age group. My wife and I are seniors. The tour guide spent a lot of time barking orders and yelling but little time telling us about the area. It was loud and over crowded. Not a highlight.

All hotels were good but the best was the Heritage 99 in Chiang Mai. Great staff, great food, great service.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hotel Reviews

99 Heritage Hotel

Chiang Mai

Excellent, serene environment in the heart of metro Chiang Mai. Thoughtful, friendly staff, great food, and a great location. Highly recommended.

Authenticity & Character

Charming decor.

Location

Right in the heart of the metro, close to everything.

Staff

Very friendly and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless, comfortable accommodations.

Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach

Phuket

Right on the beach. Walk to the ocean and take a swim.

Authenticity & Character

Comfortable but a bit generic.

Location

Ocean front but a relatively long drive to excursions.

Staff

Friendly but limited evening dining options.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice, but mini bar was pretty limited.

Marriott Executive Apartments, Bangkok Townhall Sukhumvit

Bangkok

Convenient location, friendly and attentive staff, solid service.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable but a bit generic.

Location

In the midst of the metro with multiple excursion options.

Staff

Super friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kitchenette was very convenient.

Activity Reviews

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai-Half Day

Chiang Mai

Loved this excursion. Great tour guide and loved interacting with the animals.

Quality of Experience

Great up close experience.

Food

Food was okay but not great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super knowledgeable and friendly.

Phi Phi island, Khai island, Pi Leh lagoon & Maya bay by speed boat

Phuket

This excursion is for a younger crowd who doesn't mind loud, overcrowded excursions. Not recommended for seniors.

Quality of Experience

Not recommended.

Food

So-so.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was grumpy and very unfriendly. Guide yelled a lot.

Transport

Grumpy driver.

John Gray's - Hong by Starlight

Phuket

Easily the highlight of our trip to Thailand. Worth the trip if we did nothing else. Thrilling and informative, I'll never forget it.

Quality of Experience

Awe inspiring.

Food

Excellent.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Superb.

Transport

We are so happy we chose to work with kimkim and Mint! We flew 12 time zones for an 8 day trip to Thailand (too short!). One of the best experiences of my life! Everyday was packed with amazing well-rounded day trips with well-coordinated transportation from each event and domestic transfers. Amazing food and quality of the excursions and private guides. Anytime we had even a small concern about being in the right place at the right time Mint was on it and dealing with our needs quickly. The process of customizing your trip for your needs was easy and worked out perfectly. Simply tell them what you want and it will happen without you managing any of it. Well worth working with a group like this versus piecing all of this together yourself at a minor cost savings.

This trip was a reminder/proof that even a small 8 day trip can be monumental for anyone, dont be afraid to wander.

Leave this life with memories, not dreams.....

Hotel Reviews

The Quarter Hua Lamphong by UHG

Bangkok

Basic nice safe with good spa services, harder to get a drink when you want one. Food good.

The Park Nine Suvarnabhumi

Bangkok

Looks pretty, mosquitoes were an issue for us. Good location to shopping and food and airport.

Oceanfront Beach Resort

Phuket

Nicer end for this region, very good location, great pool bar area, a bit noisier being right on the street but your in Patong so you cant expect quiet.

Activity Reviews

A visit to Mae Klong Railway market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!

Bangkok

Phi Phi island, Bamboo Island, Pi Leh lagoon & Maya bay by speedboat

Phuket

life changing beauty

A visit to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Phuket

Phuket

1 of a kind experience anywhere on the planet

John Gray's - Hong by Starlight

Phuket

ditto amazing

The absolute best trip of our lives celebrating our honeymoon. Kelly was so responsive and easy to work with. She planned the most memorable honeymooon along with our aunt. We saw the best of Thailand, from city, to jungle, to lake, to forest, to beaches!!! We felt so in touch with the culture and had spectacular food while staying at fabulous resorts. We would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone! 15/10!!

We absolutely loved Mr. Betty and Mui during our time in Thailand. They made it personal and were just so easy to get along with.

Hoa did an incredible job planning a two week trip to Thailand for us! She was very kind and patient with us during the planning process and gave us her opinion on different trip options. While in Thailand, our guides Pom and Ying were very knowledgable and made sure we had a great experience. This was the trip of a lifetime!

Tina did a great job It was a very good trip. Hotels and schedule were all nice. It was very affordable but still top rate!

Hotel Reviews

Veranda Lodge Hua Hin

Hua Hin

Lots of character. On the beach , clean great for the price

Authenticity & Character

Original design. Trees

Location

Can’t get closer to the beach

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hanoi Matilda Hotel

Hanoi

Great lication

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the center of old town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Signature Cruise

Hanoi

Great food. Clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

One night is plenty

Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel & Spa

Hoi An

Great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M Village Hotel Ton That Dam

Ho Chi Minh

Great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Cu Chi Tunnel visit

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I’m

Transport

A lot of waiting around in Thailand, as it felt like I was passed on from one group to the next. Having said that, Jeab was fabulous, helped with so many things, including reservations and recommendations. All my excursions were great.

To start out, I had 10 people for our travel group! Who really wants to book for everyone single-handed????? NOT I. I’ve never traveled with a “tour” Itinerary and Was Hesitant to book it initially. Our coordinator Tina (a Thailand based travel agent) with Kim Kim went above and beyond my requests.
I had an idea of what I wanted to do with the group and Tina helped me arrange everything and then some.
We started in Bangkok, Thailand and ended in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. For the amount of US dollars we spent for the entire trip (a little under $2100 US dollars per person) it included 14 nights lodging, 15 breakfasts, three in-country local flights, airport transfers, and 9 excursions with pick-up+drop off from the hotel!!! Crazy affordable for American standards!
The service staff in all places went above and beyond! Not only were they so prideful about their jobs, but they were happy to provide the services that the job required of them. From the airport greeters to the hotel concierge to the tour guide guides etc, everyone had big grins on their faces when in contact with us. Those were greatly appreciated after a long day of traveling. Whenever I had questions about/before/during the trip, I was put at ease with Tina’s answers and solutions. I 98% trust Kim Kim for my future group travels (there’s always a little window for margin of errors LOL) and will use them again. Again, THANKS TINA!!!

I would only recommend spending a little more money for lodging in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City when going to Vietnam. Their 4-star ratings do not compare to our American 4-star ratings. The Veranda Lodge in Hua Hin, Thailand, The LaLuna Hotel/Spa in Hoi Anh, Vietnam and The Signature Cruise Line for Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam were cute, spacious, and located centrally for easy access to eateries and shopping. Those three lodgings had the most amazing breakfast buffets! All very convenient when having 10 people in your group! For hotels, I Google map searched the location and viewed most recent reviews. That definitely helped with deciding on which hotel to stay with if I hadn’t agreed to whatever Tina had chose for us.

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Matilda Hotel

Hanoi

Very small rooms. The breakfast buffet was below mediocre with little seating room. Awesome location, and five star to service staff.!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Signature Cruise

Hanoi

We did the 2-Day. It was nice to have an extra day of relaxing, but pretty much the same landscape everywhere. The one day excursion was definitely a great experience. The first night’s dinner was amazing! The second night’s dinner was horrible, not edible whatsoever- A lot of not fresh squid and overcooked barbecue ribs (weird combo for sure).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M Village Hotel Ton That Dam

Ho Chi Minh

This hotel has a great location, but because it is in the heart of HCMC, it is very loud. WE ONLY GOT 2 TO 3 HOURS OF MILD CITY NOISE FOR SLEEP and that is with my earplugs in. The buffet is more of a “deluxe continental breakfast” for American Standards. The hotel staff were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lots of space in the room, but could definitely use more storage amenities.

Veranda Lodge Hua Hin

Hua Hin

The Veranda Lodge in Hua Hin was really nice, cute, and quaint, almost like a mom-and-pop hotel. It wasn't corporate-owned, and the service was top-notch.

Activity Reviews

Lantern boat ride on Hoai River

Hoi An

The lantern boat ride in Hoi An was disappointing. The river was already nasty so adding more pollution with paper candle lanterns seemed pointless as they just sink and pollute further. Although people were sweet and kind, this wasn't an activity we would repeat.

Exploring the Mekong Delta!

Ho Chi Minh City

The Mekong Delta tour felt more like a marketing scheme than an authentic experience. We expected to visit countryside farms but were met with a series of sales pitches. The fruit also wasn't freshly harvested like we expected.

Cruising at Bai Tu Long Bay - Day 3

Bai Tu Long Bay

The three-day cruise could have been better done in two days. The first two days offered kayaking and hiking, but the third day was mostly repetitive with little to do. The second night's dinner was disappointing and not edible, despite a fantastic dinner the first night.

Hanoi City Tour with Food Tasting!

Thailand

The Hanoi city tour with food tasting was a great experience. Although we weren't expecting a historical walking tour, it was informative and our guide was wonderful. The food tour part was also impressive.

Vietnamese Cooking Class in Saigon!

Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnamese cooking class was wonderful. Our chef was phenomenal, and everyone provided excellent service. There were no complaints at all, and it was a delightful experience.

It was our first time traveling to Asia, and my husband, 14 year old daughter and I couldn't have had a better time. I cannot overstate how amazing our trip was and it was all because of Kimkim!
Before our trip, our planner, Lacey, made it easy. It was like choose your own adventure where every option was the best!
All of our local guides were friendly and helpful, and always on time. The hotels, the flights, the meals and tours were all wonderful! We had 12 days in Thailand - 4 in Phuket, 4 in Chiang Mai, and 2 in Bangkok (plus travel days). We went on two boat tours, saw islands, kayaked and snorkeled, spent a day with elephants, hiked to a waterfall, white water rafted (with elephants in the river!), toured the floating market, the railway market, night markets, tuktuks, and more. Any question I had was answered promptly by Lacey or a local guide. Absolutely wonderful!!

Our guides were amazing! We truly appreciated the care Michelle gave us while in Singapore. I especially appreciated the escort from the airport to the hotel. And the escort back to the airport AND the front desk of the airport. Michelle even helped us with our bag issues at the airport counter. We enjoyed the private tours and Michelle's thorough knowledge of the country was evident,
The hotels were perfectly matched for our taste.
The adventures in Thailand were also well matched for our family. We loved Phuket and Phi Phi. The private guide in Bangkok was excellent. He met all of our needs and also escorted us to and from the airport.
Elena, thank you for planning a fun, adventurous and high end trip.

Hotel Reviews

Carlton Hotel Singapore

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Naka Phuket

Phuket

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Sukhothai Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-day Singapore City Tour

Singapore

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Green Elephant Sanctuary Park - Morning visit

Phuket

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have had the most amazing trip through Thailand, courtesy of Lacey at Kim Kim and the local team at Exotic Voyages she used.
Lacey's helpfulness, advice and skill enabled us to plan a truly bespoke trip and from the moment we landed at Bangkok airport until our departure in Chiang Rai, the entire 15 days were perfect.
Our transport, hotels, excursions, meals and more were excellent... and both Toto and Bam, our guides in central and northern Thailand respectively were incredible.
Their knowledge, friendliness, humour and companionship have made everything truly memorable.
And of course, Lacey's planning and patience throughout has been hugely appreciated.
This is our third time using Kimkim now, having done trips in Greece, Colombia and Thailand with them.
We will definitely use them again!!

Kien did an AMAZING job planning this trip. It was exactly the right balance of what we wanted - cultural experiences balanced with nature activities and of course, some time to relax at one of Thailand's beautiful islands. We went back and forth a few times to tweak the specific details; Kien's guidance was incredibly valuable. For instance, I had never heard of Pai and wouldn't have included it on my list of places to see. I wasn't sure what to expect and was even second guessing if it was worth the extra travel time for such a short stay - turns out, it was probably our favorite day of our entire trip!

Trip highlights/favorites:
Lunch overlooking a beautiful canyon (feet literally dangling over the edge!) visiting the Black Lahu tribe
Elephant sanctuary
Private long tail boat - and lunch! - experience in Krabi

Honestly, it was hard to pick just 3 - every day had at least one thing that was truly memorable.

I've never used a travel agent to book any trip before and was a little nervous about the logistics. Kien was very patient and walked me through everything. Everyone - drivers, guides, etc. - showed up EXACTLY when they were supposed to and we had no issue at all. Special thanks to our fantastic guides Scotty (Grand Palace, Wat Arun), Tony (floating and train markets), and Noi (the north including Pai). Our drivers were all extremely courteous and generous with fresh, cold water which was much appreciated.

Hotel Reviews

Mode Sathorn Hotel Bangkok

Bangkok

Great location right on the Sky Train line. Nice rooms and a good buffet breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Nice clean modern hotel

Location

Right on the Sky Train

Staff

Very nice - could have been more helpful with concierge-type recommendations (restaurants, etc.)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reverie Siam Resort

Mae Hong Son

Beautiful hotel - felt very 1920's but updated. Beautiful grounds.

Authenticity & Character

Felt very authentic and full of character/charm

Location

Not walking distance to Pai walking street but the hotel's golf cart shuttle was super convenient and only took 5 minutes to get to/from town.

Staff

Very accommodating - from "breakfast to go" to never having to wait more than a few minutes for a shuttle pickup, they were great. They even stayed later than normal to pick our kids up in town after New Year's Eve! (Shuttle usually ends at 11 - they picked up at 12:30!)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable room though our room had an issue with humidity. We were only there 2 nights but everything started to feel very damp.

Aksara Heritage

Chiang Mai

GREAT location in Chiang Mai. Hotel was very pretty and pool area was great.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful and charming architecture

Location

Centrally located in the old city. Easy to get a tuk tuk or sontaeg to other parts of town.

Staff

Very accommodating whether it was holding our luggage on check-out day or arranging "breakfast to go". Very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amari Vogue Krabi

Beautiful property right on a nice stretch of beach. Perfect if you are looking for quiet and don't mind a slightly longer ride into town which was exactly what we wanted.

Authenticity & Character

Truly beautiful property with lovely architectural details.

Location

Beautiful stretch of beach. Didn't mind being "away" from the center of town - actually preferred it!

Staff

VERY accommodating and friendly staff! We weren't leaving until 5pm on our check out day. We had to leave the room by noon but they arranged for us to shower that later afternoon (after enjoying the pool/beach for the afternoon) in a vacant room which was extremely convenient and generous of them. Also, probably the best brunch we had the entire trip!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hidden Local Beliefs

Bangkok

Great tour of the Grand Palace with lots of interesting facts. We really enjoyed going to the meditation center to present offerings and learn more about Buddhism. Wat Arun is beautiful. And our guide picked a great local place for lunch. Scotty was great - knowledgeable and very friendly!

Quality of Experience

Scotty was great - gave really great/interesting information and was very friendly

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

The food was great! Chinatown can be a crazy, crowded and intimidating place so it was nice having our guide there to do the ordering, securing tables, etc. I didn't love all the food though I appreciate that some were Michelin starred despite being "street food". It was nice to try a mix of things.

Quality of Experience

Food

LOVED the duck with noodles and sauce and the donuts with pandan custard. Two of us loved the hot pepper soup.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Markets: The Unique Way of Living

Bangkok

Our guide Tony gave great information not just on the markets but on Thailand in general. He also helped us pick some great entrees for lunch (it can be hard to know what to order when you're not familiar with a more local menu). The train market was fun and different. The floating market is VERY touristy - I was glad that we took a boat to get there and then walked through it since the canal in the market was packed. Amphawa market was just ok.

Quality of Experience

Food

Tony gave us great suggestions of what to order at lunch since we were overwhelmed by all the choices.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok - Flight to Chiang Mai - Transfer to Pai

Thailand

Flight was great. Met Noi at the airport for the long drive to Pai. I wasn't sure if our short stay was worth the long, potentially nauseating drive but it really was - we loved Pai! The restaurant we stopped at was more expensive than most and had a very long wait for the food. The restaurant itself had beautiful grounds and a great gift shop but the food was not worth the price or the long wait - it meant getting to the hotel a lot later than expected and rearranging some of our schedule. (We did the canyon instead of hot springs but opted not to stay for the full sunset because we hadn't even been to our hotel at that point and were getting tired.)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Other than the not so great suggestion for lunch, Noi was really great and helpful. Mr. Thoy was a great driver - that is NOT an easy drive!!!

Transport

Comfortable van, especially for such a difficult drive. Mr. Thoy always had fresh cold water for us.

Sai Ngam Hot Spring

Pai

We changed our itinerary to do this on the day we did the cave instead of the day we arrived in Pai (again because of the long lunch we had - it just made more sense). The water is more of a "warm spring" than a "hot spring" - it was cool to see and soak for a few minutes but it wouldn't have been terrible if we had swapped this activity out with something else in the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pai - Sunrise at Yuan Lai Viewpoint - Bamboo Rafting at Tham Lod Cave - Ban Jabo Village - Sai Ngam Hot Spring

Pai

This was SO worth the early wake up time!!! The sunrise was really special, the cave was fun but the highlight was Ban Jabo village. Lunch was amazing - the food was my son's favorite meal of the trip and the view/experience of eating overlooking the canyon with our feet dangling off the edge was amazing. This might just be everyone's favorite day in Pai. We did the sunset at the canyon tour the day before but didn't stay for the actual sunset.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Morning session)

Chiang Mai

So fun to see the elephants up close and get to feed/bathe them.

Quality of Experience

Food

The lunch provided was just ok. By the time we got back to CM, we were hungry so went out for a second lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff at the sanctuary were great. Our driver (who drove us throughout Pai and Chiang Mai and was fantastic) went the wrong way twice and had trouble finding the place.

Transport

Lanna Lifestyle & Cooking Experience with A Local Family with dinner

Chiang Mai

Very cool! We loved the actual cooking part but also really enjoyed the home tour and learning more about Lanna culture. The appetizers they gave us before we started cooking were amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was incredible! It was nice to learn how to make some traditional favorites but also to make some things we hadn't tried before. And the appetizers they provided us with were fantastic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very informative and entertaining guide.

Transport

Discover Ao Nang Paradise & Sunset by Private Longtail Boat

Krabi

SUCH a great day!! Traveling these islands is a popular Krabi activity. We saw many larger boats with 20-30 people on them and we would not have enjoyed being on a boat like that. Having it be a private boat experience definitely increased our enjoyment of the activity.

Quality of Experience

Food

A fantastic private meal on the beach!!! The staff did a great job setting everything up and it was delicious! Snacks at sunset were on the small side so pack one of two other snacks of your your own choice (from a 7-11 which can be found all over!).

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was friendly but a little hard to understand. But given that it was mostly a beach day, there wasn't much need of explanations!

Transport

The boat was great and we really enjoyed it being just the 4 of us (plus staff) on the boat.

Half-Day Kayaking at Ao Thalane

Krabi

Beautiful scenery. Not too challenging physically.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Henry was great and also suggested a great local place for lunch.

Transport

Doi Inthanon National Park - A Nature Walk and Culture

Chiang Mai

We didn't actually do this - we did a tour of Doi Suthep instead. Would have loved to do this trip if we had more time!

Tina helped plan an excellent trip. She took care of every detail.
In Bangkok, the private temple and Chinatown tours with Leena were fantastic.
Our stay in Phuket was also great. Loved the elephant sanctuary and kayaking adventure.
Will be happy to use Kimkim again in the future.

We had great guides in Chiang Mai. The hotel accommodations were beautiful and suited us well. The meals were fantastic and the transportation was on time and helpful. Overall a great experience!

Lena and Q were our 2 Guides. Lena in Bangkok and Q in Chiang Mai. Both spoke excellent English and were very knowledgeable of the Temples and history of Thailand.

Hotel Reviews

Century Park Hotel

Makkasan, Ratchathewi, Bangkok

Nice hotel, good quality of finishes. The gym was a little small and the pool was mostly in the shade in December but the people were nice and helpful with anything we needed. The included breakfast had plenty of options and the food was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was finished with nice stone finishes and custom woodwork throughout.

Location

Reasonably close to the temples we went to see which was helpful due to the Bangkok traffic.

Staff

The staff spoke fluent English and were always very helpful whenever we had a problem to solve.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was very clean and kept up, the beds and towels were always clean and replaced when we returned.

Bodhi Serene Chiang Mai Hotel (SHA Extra Plus)

Chiang Mai

The hotel is hidden behind an unassuming large wall with a door at the entrance but once you enter there were wood finishes, a large, raised courtyard with water features on the ground level and ponds surround the platform. The pool was nice but shallow and the bar/restaurant were next to the pool. The staff was always very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms were oversized with a king bed and a very large couch, chair and table. The bathroom had an oversized tub and the shower was large enough for 3 people.

Location

The location is near the airport and was within walking distance to the Saturday Night Market and the Sunday Market which were both fun to shop and walk around. Temples were close and easily accessible but the Elephant sanctuaries were around an hour and a half away.

Staff

The staff was very helpful when asked for walking directions, restaurants or different food choices.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was always clean, the beds were comfortable and when we returned at the end of the day the bed was made, and the towels were replaced.

Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach

Phuket

This hotel is right on the sand/ocean. Our room had unobstructed ocean/beach views with surrounding bay views. There is a rooftop deck with a bar, happy hour food, a pool table and some games. The restaurant breakfast was excellent with many choices of food with everything I tried being very tasty.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was built with quality materials and was kept up nicely. The pool is shoulder deep at its deepest and has a kid wading pool area and stone finishes.

Location

For the Kamala Beach area this hotel, in my opinion, is located as perfect as it gets. The hotel is located at the North end of the beach with no other hotels to one side. The hotel is located right on the sand with swimming in the waste to shoulder deep water directly out front. The sand is fine without larger rocks (further down the beach there were some larger more coarse sand areas. The hotel is walking distance to the Kamala Beach town or an easy taxi ride into town. Many of the rooms are not on the water and do not have ocean views and are built further back from the beach but within an easy walk.

Staff

Had a little problem when we first arrived with our second room (our adult kids shared a room) and hoped it would be closer to our room. The receptionist was not very helpful but as it turns out there were no other rooms near us available.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was always clean, and the bed made when we returned. Towels were always replaced by the time we returned from our travels.

Activity Review

Phi Phi island, Bamboo Island, Pi Leh lagoon & Maya bay by speedboat

Phuket

This was a little too touristy with the first stop at an island that you have to pay to use a chair and the bathroom. The snorkeling was only a small portion of the tour, should have been longer. Everywhere we went there were hundreds of tourists and boats, this was a very commercialized tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport