Bruce Peng

Ms. Jina and Ms. Yaya were great guides. The overall experience and everyone we had contact with was professional, helpful, and extremely welcoming.

Hotel Review

Smile Lanna Hotel Chiang Mai

Authenticity & Character

The interior design and little unique things in the room . Many breakfast options

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Bangkok City Tour With Grand Palace and Long-Tail Boat Ride

Bangkok

I like the personalized/private experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Night Food tour with Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

We’re pescatarians so limited food experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Got to experience a Tuk tuk ride

Drive to Kanchanaburi with Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Thailand

Bright and colorful day. Lots to ser

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kanchanaburi Tour

Kanchanaburi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half Day Chiang Mai Temple Hopping with Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Full Day Elephants Day Care at Baan Chang Elephant Park

Chiang Mai

Great experience. Let guest know about the cats before arrival. Make it a shorter day or private transportation option.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half Day Fun Cooking Experience With a Local Lanna Family

Chiang Mai

Such a rich, beautiful experience

Quality of Experience

Everything

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Phi Phi Island

Phuket

Beautiful island . A lot of the time was spent traveling in the boat

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Moo Ban Dek tour

Kanchanaburi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time doing a vacation through a travel agency, and KimKim made it very easy to get in touch with a local agency specializing in Thailand trips, and the agent they connected us with was incredibly responsive! The only issues we had during planning were with the platform -- we encountered some trouble uploading and updating our passport information (my wife's last name was recently changed), which caused some confusion during the booking process and resulted in us needing to buy a new ticket in her new name right before one of our in-country flights. It would've also been nice to have an app version of the portal to make it easier to look at and respond to things on our phones.

Our trip itself was fantastic. Honestly a 9/10 and one of the most memorable experiences we have ever done! Thailand is an amazingly exotic place with incredible food, architecture, and friendly people. Bruce's itinerary made it so at the end of the trip, we felt like we truly got to experience all aspects of the country. The only change I would have made was to add a full free day to our stay in Bangkok and Chang Mai. There is so much to do in both places, it almost felt like we just got a slice of what they had to offer, even though our schedules were full of sight seeing and other activities! Some of the highlights of our activities were the bicycle tour in Chang Mai, walking around Ayutthaya, seeing the many beautiful temples (everywhere), the imperial palace in Bangkok, the two restaurants we went to in Bangkok (rooftop bar with view of the city skyline and river and one local place that had some of the best authentic Thai food we've ever eaten), cooking with a local family in Chang Mai, and snorkeling off Monkey Island in Phuket.

A few experiences did feel a bit "touristy," although we enjoyed them nonetheless. For example, zip-lining wasn't actually in our itinerary, and exists in other places we've been. The 3-hr round trip drive to get to the mountain took up a lot of that day.

Having personal guides and drivers in each location was absolutely crucial. We didn't have to worry at all about transportation and there wasn't much "down time" waiting to be picked up. For some activities farther from the city center (Ayutthaya, elephant care center, zip-lining), I'm really not sure how we would've gotten back to the hotel if we were relying on taxis!

Our guides were very efficient, friendly, and spoke almost fluent English. They were very responsive to questions and changes in schedules, so we always knew when to be were. Mike (our Bangkok guide) was fantastic. Great sense of humor, really knew the history of the city, and took us to some attractions and AMAZING restaurants off the beaten path that were some of the highlights of our entire trip. Ming (our guide in Chang Mai) was super friendly, and we appreciated her taking pictures of us during some of our activities so we could simply enjoy being in the moment and not feel like we were missing out documenting our experience to look back fondly on later.

All of the hotels we stayed at were fantastic. As cost of high-end of hotels in Thailand are relatively affordable for the outside traveler, I encourage everyone to splurge and enjoy the great food, service, and atmosphere that come with them. (Granted, you will pay higher prices for food, drink, and spa services at them!).

In conclusion, even though we might have changed a few things in retrospect, we are overall very happy and satisfied with our trip and would like to thank everyone involved.

Hotel Reviews

Lancaster Bangkok Hotel

Bankok

Fantastic hotel with a great included breakfast and accommodations. Staff was friendly and helpful. The only downside to this hotel is most things are not within walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

RatiLanna Riverside Spa Resort

Chiang Mai

Very calm atmosphere - perfect "river spa" feel. Great included breakfast, and fantastic (if pricey) spa experiences. A little far from the city center, but close enough that they are a very cheap taxi ride away.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

COMO Point Yamu

One of the most unique hotels I've stayed at in my life. Fantastic character, stunning views. Very much worth splurging on a room with a personal pool. Every morning and night we would just stare out at our surroundings and marvel that we were there. The Thai restaurant inside the hotel is only open a few days per week, but was one of the culinary highlights of our trip. Mouth-watering dishes for a reasonable price. Service could be a little slow at times, but everything else more than made up for it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Night Food tour with Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Bangkok City Tour With Grand Palace and Long-Tail Boat Ride

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Historical Ayutthaya Tour from Bangkok

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Half Day Fun Cooking Experience With a Local Lanna Family

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Explore Doi Inthanon National Park Tour

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Full Day Elephants Day Care at Baan Chang Elephant Park

Chiang Mai

It was amazing to see elephants up close and to touch them! It became clear the elephants were very well cared for, but at first we were a bit nervous because the elephant camp we went to was a different one than was in our itinerary and the facilities were all very VERY new, so it seemed like this camp was recently built (keeping in mind that exploitation of these gentle giants is still alive and well). The English language staff member named Ice was very friendly and supplied us with many interesting elephant facts. Some other staff members felt a bit pushy when it came to engaging with the elephants -- i.e., do this pose for the photos now. Lunch was an interesting affair, as some of the staff didn't seem to know how to cook the dishes properly as they were guiding us through the recipes. Overall a good and memorable experience, but I think this camp needs to polish up some of the rough edges.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Chiang Mai Countryside Exploration by Bicycle (Join-in)

Chiang Mai

Our guide for this tour was one of our favorite locals we met on our trip. Super friendly and genuine, didn't rush us anywhere, and seemed so easygoing. He showed us some amazing local spots that we would've never seen otherwise! Was great to get a feel for the local area and how Thai people live. We regret not getting a photo with him!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Phi Phi Island

Phuket

It was magical to see all the incredible islands up close and for the most part, snorkeling and swimming were fantastic. Quite an experience to swim in a cove surrounded by massive jungle rock walls. The boat staff were fun, and we appreciated the big cooler full of free drinks to keep us hydrated! Monkey island was kind of a disappointment, although the snorkeling around it was amazing. Very crowded and we only saw one monkey "in the wild." There were more on the edge of the beach, but they were all in cages, apparently because they were sick? It wasn't clear. The food was okay, as it was a buffet of spaghetti, chicken wings, and watermelon that hundreds of people were eating. I would've preferred to pay extra to go to a local restaurant.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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