Great trip to Bangkok and Koh Samui!
Thailand
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Jul 29 - Aug 6, 2026
We had an amazing time in Thailand thanks to Lilian and Nana!
From the planning to the execution, all parts of this trip were fabulous. We wanted to travel once in our lives where we just showed up to the airport and someone had a sign with our names on it and just whisked us away and did all of the work for us. This was it! And... I'm never going back to organizing and planning trips myself. Planning a trip for a family of 4 with young adults/older teenagers can be tough. But, all I had to do was communicate our likes and pacing style and Lilian planned it all! It was the perfect amount of sight seeing, adventure, and relaxation. Her hotel picks were fabulous were perfectly located central to the hustle and bustle with easy access by foot or train to anything we would want to see. I especially enjoyed Buri Rasa Village in Koh Samui. It’s a perfect size with not too many guests and just the right amount of gorgeous nature. If I ever come back to Koh Samui I would love to stay here again. And the NYSA hotel in Bangkok was awesome too. Their breakfast buffet was fantastic and had so many food options. I’m also very glad that I upgraded to the two bedroom suite because it was a splurge my family had never done before and that extra space and second bathroom provided such a luxurious feel that it was worth the extra money just for the memories of such an extravagant space. I highly recommend that room type for families of 4 with older children/teenagers.
Upon arrival in Bangkok our guide Nana and her driver took amazing care of us. Nana is very upbeat, high energy, and full of knowledge. We enjoyed her narrations along the drive to each activity as well as her excellent advice on things we could do and places we could eat after our day with her ended. She was able to effectively rearrange our scheduled itinerary due to some closures because of the King's birthday and we truly appreciated that flexibility. She really seemed in tune with what our likes were and adapted to our quite subdued nature with just the right amount of push to get us out of our comfort zone. We especially enjoyed her advice for the markets and suggestions for foods to try.
Thank you for making this the most amazing and easy vacation we have ever had. I truly enjoyed just waking up and having the day planned out and all of the transportation arranged.
Now that I have seen how the other half lives, I think all of our future vacations will need to be splurges like this! It’s an awesome way to travel.
Activity Reviews
Phenomenal! Chef Lat is full of energy and so fun to cook with. Her assistants help to pace the cooking, and you always feel like you have someone helping you. The food we made was delicious, and the tour of the organic garden was awesome!
Awesome locale with new and fun artwork and hipster-ish sites. Enjoyed the hidden chocolate shop and all the Instagram worthy pics.
This is an absolute MUST DO activity. The drive there allowed us to see more of Thailand than just Bangkok and Nana's commentary along the way filled the drive with so much knowledge and information about Thai history and culture. The railway market is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the canals take you through so many different styles of homes and shops along the water. We could have spent all day wandering through the markets... and I don't even like to shop or bargain! It is that great.
This was a really fun day. The weather was perfect, the water was warm, and the captain and his crew were accommodating and safe. The walk up the stairs is memorable indeed! And so worth it for that view.
This is a lovely elephant sanctuary where you mostly keep your distance and just observe. You are able to prepare food for the elephants, feed them and pet their trunk, but you mostly get to watch them in their natural state. There is no prodding or coaching of the elephants, and you do not bathe them or get in their way.
It was a hot and steamy day but the temples were worth it! So extravagant and ornate. It is a feast for the eyes indeed!
