A Most Excellent Trip

Thailand | Nov 4 - Nov 21, 2025

We got in very late on our first night in country after a long international flight, so we were tired and not very alert. However, the hotel staff made check in easy for us and made sure that we were comfortable right away. The breakfast buffet was a highlight of the stay - the food was outstanding and fresh and delicious, but the accommodations were also comfortable and quiet. After a long flight, it was nice to have access to a gym so as to stretch out and get a workout in to feel more normal. This is such nice hotel and all of the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Our room was spectacular, but it seems that every room is also. The hotel is very modern yet charming and clean. The pool is beautiful and clean, and the views are simply amazing. We watched a distant thunderstorm over the mountains off our balcony one night, and it was lovely. We also kayaked on the river using the complimentary kayaks. Also, the restaurant is very nice with a fantastic menu and the food was delicious. All of the staff were very friendly and accommodating, and went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable.

The hotel is a boutique hotel with a lovely atmosphere. Our room was very clean and quiet, but also large and comfortable. The location is perfect - it is on a quiet street but a very close walking distance to many restaurants and bars inside the old town. The breakfast buffet is very nice and we looked forward to eating at the restaurant every day. The hotel staff were so friendly and accommodating. During one of our activities in Chiang Mai, we got bitten by ants and other insects and had such itchy skin that there was no way we would be able to sleep. We asked the staff for directions to a pharmacy, but did not need to visit the pharmacy as the desk staff had extra ointment that they offered us to try. It worked, and it saved us time trying to find the pharmacy, etc., and we were able to sleep that night. Such nice people and so accommodating.

The hotel is located close to the airport and is so convenient to traveling in and out of Phuket. In addition, it is located across the street from a most lovely beach, and it is essentially located inside the national park, so it is a very quiet and beautiful location. Despite it being located in a quiet area, there are plenty of restaurants and shops within easy walking distance, and it must be repeated that a most beautiful and quiet beach is just across the street! The breakfast buffet is absolutely wonderful and first class, but the restaurant also serves 1st class food that is so fresh and delicious. The hotel staff are so friendly and accommodating and make sure that you are taken are of. The hotel provides nice touches like flip flops, beach towels, a carry bag for the beach or shopping, and umbrellas to use. So nice! We found all of the staff to be so friendly, from the maintenance workers to cleaning staff as well as the restaurant and pool/bar workers. The hotel offers a complimentary yoga class several days of the week, and our instructor was so sweet and nice. And of course the desk staff (Vicky and Jib especially) and bell people were really, very nice and attentive, that they all really made our stay such a nice experience.

After a long trip in Thailand, we flew from Phuket to Bangkok the night before leaving Thailand. Our international flight home was set for 7 am, and we were so tired from a great vacation, that we were a bit down on energy. However, upon walking into the hotel, our spirits picked up immediately! This hotel is absolutely gorgeous! It is modern, beautiful, clean and so comfortable. After staying in several locations throughout the country for a long time, we were not looking forward to checking in to one more hotel. However, our attitude changed right away, as the check in process was a breeze and very fast, and the accommodations are so very nice. The hotel is very large, but is it also very peaceful and comforting. The breakfast buffet starts at 3 am for travelers who have early flights out, so we were able to have an absolutely wonderful breakfast buffet before catching an early flight. In addition, after a long vacation, we were able to use the hotel gym to stretch out and recoup from a physically demanding vacation, not to mention to reset the body before getting on a very long international flight. The gym and locker room are so very nice and spacious, with fantastic gym equipment and amenities. Oh yeah, the hotel is essentially right across the street from the airport, but you wouldn't know it as it is so quiet and comfortable. Likewise, it is so convenient - it was so nice knowing we were so close to the airport that it took stress away from worrying about packing up and getting to the airport on time. The hotel shuttle immediately brought us to the hotel from the airport the night before with zero wait time, and in the morning, the hotel shuttle immediately brought us to the airport with zero wait time, and the shuttle ride is only about 5 minutes total - so convenient! This was a wonderful hotel and experience.

This was a beautiful tour of the larger and popular temples in Bangkok. Our guide taught us a lot about the history of the temples and the importance to the Thai people.

The bridge itself may not appear to be so impressive, but it is the story behind the bridge and the conditions that the POWs and other forced laborers had to endure to complete it that is amazing. The museum visit is an eye-opening experience, and the displays give you an idea of the brutal conditions that existed during the war. The European theater tends to dominate WWII history, so this museum is so important for Westerners when learning about the southeast Asian theater. The cemetery is adjacent to the museum, and it is kept in beautiful condition.

The park is very beautiful and the waterfalls are spectacular. It is a moderate hike to get to the viewing area of the upper waterfalls, but all of the waterfalls below are eye-opening as well, so you cannot go wrong wherever you stop. The park was crowded, but the views and scenery of the waterfalls and jungle are so worth the effort.

This was such a fun trip! We really got a feel for the flow of the city while riding through the town. The humidity felt sticky, but having the breeze from riding made it a pleasure. Our guide Amy was a real treat for us - she was able to gauge what we were interested in along the way and she made sure we spent more time at areas we really enjoyed. For instance, the local market is so vibrant with sights, sounds and smells that we really enjoyed sampling various fruits and foods. Amy is extremely knowledgeable and is a wealth of information, and she really took the time to make sure that we had a great experience.

The staff on the boats worked very hard all day long to ensure we had a great time. They were very good at organizing people onto the boats and clearly explaining the agenda for the day. In addition, they made sure that everyone on the boat was safe, and I always felt their safety presence when we were swimming in the sea. The food on the boat was really tasty and we also had a wonderful lunch at or near Monkey Beach. The scenery on this trip was spectacular, and everywhere we turned was a photographic moment. The sea and islands are simply gorgeous.

This scenery and activities on this trip are wonderful, but the company staff and philosophy made it that much more special. The staff made sure to explain the agenda and what to expect, and the boat traveled at a very calm speed so that you are immediately immersed in relaxing atmosphere. The company emphasizes a quality experience (as opposed to quantity), and they also emphasize giving back and supporting the local people and culture. They made sure that there is plenty of wonderful food to eat the entire day, and workers and guides ensured a quality and safe experience. The guides ensured that we saw so many cool things that we otherwise would have missed, and each guide was so personable and went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. This trip was so relaxing and fun, but also educational.

This is a big park and absolutely beautiful! We did a short trek through the countryside with our guide Amy and a local Karen guide as well, who showed us many things that we would not have noticed, such as various insects (caterpillars and spiders), wildlife (Gibbons and snakes) and fruits/nuts (Passion fruit and various acorns) from the trees. The waterfalls in this park are absolutely beautiful and amazing. The countryside and jungle here are spectacular.

This is a very nice golf course and club. All of the staff were friendly, and we just had a great golf day. Our caddies were fun and competent and professional, and also did a great job figuring out which clubs to hit and how to approach the hole so as to reduce potential danger. The clubs we rented were new and in great condition. The course is very pretty and the greens really protect the course from low scores.

This is a really nice golf course and golf club. Our caddies were very friendly and personable, and quickly learned how far we hit our rental clubs, which made for better golf. The staff at the club were all very friendly and welcoming.

This was really a lovely experience for us, as the elephants are definitely the star of the show. The sanctuary really made sure that we interacted with the elephants, and we felt safe the entire time. It was so much fun to simply stand and touch the elephants but even better feeding them and bathing and giving them mud baths. We learned so much about the elephants, and they are truly regal beings. The sanctuary staff were all very friendly and competent. They made sure that our safety was a big concern, as well as the welfare of the elephants. The reality of our modern world means that these sanctuaries are ever more important, and we were impressed with how the elephants were treated and housed.