Jeab Kwanchanok

Jeab was great to work with and developed a wonderful itinerary for us. It was so helpful to have someone local to confirm transfers and tour times, without us trying to phone each day to confirm activities over the next couple of days. We spent 13 nights across 4 cities/towns, each hotel was as advertised and met our expectations. We enjoyed all of our tours and our guides were all knowledgeable and friendly.

We had an issue on the first day (I fell over, 100% my fault) but Jeab and Noemie (the KimKim support person we had available 24/7) were helpful and sympathetic. They checked whether tours could be adjusted to accommodate my newly acquired walking stick, and could make recommendations regarding treatment - we did come home with a few different herbal balms that helped the healing.

The Thai Family Experience Home Host Tour in Chiang Mai (cooking with the host family) was better than we expected, the food was delicious, we actually got in and helped with the cooking rather than being mostly spectators (of course we didn't do everything but it was quite hands on), and the large host family prepares several dishes as appetizers as well, all amazing.
Also near Chiang Mai the Patara Elephant Farm tour was good, you get to feed and wash the elephants, plus some cuddles and a few pictures of course. The handlers there were excellent and clearly care for the elephants.

From Phuket we took a full day boat tour Hong by Starlight. Highly recommend this tour to anyone. We were gone 11 hours from hotel pick up to drop off, tired from the fun of the day but not worn out because it is so well run (and pretty much everything is done for you). There is a guide for every couple, they take you from the main boat on inflatable canoes through caves/tunnels, show you the wildlife, and take photos of you with the perfect backdrops. The third and final canoe trip was after dinner, it was pitch black on the water just around the other side of a small island from the main boat. In the darkness we could see the bio-luminescent plankton clearly. It was a great day, they take care of you really well. Not expensive, and certainly worth every dollar for the experience we received.

We'd love to go again and would certainly trust Jeab to plan us a perfect holiday.

Great 21 days to Thailand - Kimkim team provided guidance throughout the trip They were available when there was last minute changes or issues. Favorite excursions were interactions with elephants - both in Chiang Mai and Koh Samui. Another favorite was a private charter of a catamaran in Koh Samui where they brought us to pig island. Only negatives were sometimes the group excursions were long - they could have been cut shorter (Kayak, road trip from Chiang rai to Chiang Mai) Overall a very memorable trip !

Hotel Reviews

Le Patta Hotel Chiang Rai

The hotel was close to the walking street but it’s on was located on a busy street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is closed to the walking street and street food but it’s on a busy street

Staff

The staff was very nice and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is clean but the room could use some refurbishing. Lots of mosquitoes in the area

Meliá Chiang Mai Hotels & Resort

Chiang Mai

Very beautiful modern hotel with great amenities such as a pool , bar and nice gym

Authenticity & Character

It’s very modern therefore not your typical Thai hotel with character.

Location

Across the street from the markets

Staff

The concierge was great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed super comfy

Hotel (Booked on Your Own)

Koh Samui

Absolutely loved our stay at the Anavana resort. It felt like a true Thai resort with individual huts. It’s a very small resort so it’s not crowded and the restaurant view on the beach was fantastic

Authenticity & Character

Thai huts in a tropical setting

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Beach Khao Lak Resort & Spa

Phang Nga

Very busy resort but with a Thai feel. The lobby and restaurants are all in bamboo therefore you feel like you are in the tropics. Our room was nothing special but the other rooms closer to the beach seemed nicer.

Authenticity & Character

Bamboo lobby on stilts

Location

Resort is close to all the restaurants

Staff

The checkin staff was great but it was difficult to get service from the pool bar staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean

The St. Regis Bangkok

Bangkok

Over the top luxurious hotel with great amenities - rooftop pool and fantastic gym. It also had the best buffet breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Siam Mandarina Hotel

Samutprakarn

I’m not sure I would stay at this hotel again

Authenticity & Character

Location

It’s a sketchy area - close to the airport

Staff

Restaurant staff was extremely slow. We left our EarPods at checkout and they wouldn’t mail them to us

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crazy weird noises

Dusit Suites Hotel Ratchadamri, Bangkok

Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Newly renovated modern hotel

Location

Great location - central location but quieter as among all the luxury hotels.

Staff

All staff in Thailand are excellent

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable

Avista Grande Phuket Karon Mgallery

Phuket

Very nice hotel with beautiful pool and very nice rooms. The buffet breakfast was excellent

Authenticity & Character

A very nice hotel especially at night with all the lights

Location

It’s in a bit of a weird location as it’s across the public beach but you can still walk to all the restaurants

Staff

Desk staff were excellent

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Samui Islands Yacht Charter – Sunset Trip

Koh Samui

Excellent catamaran excursion with great attentive staff, delicious snacks and great bbq. Would charter from blue voyage again.

Quality of Experience

Catamaran was clean and in good shape. The different unexpected snacks were great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very attentive but still kept their distance so we could enjoy family time

Transport

Golden Triangle and Mekong River Boat (Private)

Chiang Rai

The guide was excellent and informative. Enjoyed the Opium museum I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 as the golden triangle was interesting but not scenic as expected. . It was fun going to Laos but the vendors are a bit pushy.

Quality of Experience

Food

The local restaurant was delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was excellent

Transport

Driver was great - boat ride to Laos was fun

Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai via Mae Kampong with Lunch

Thailand

Loved visiting the blue temple early without the crowds. The white temple was magnificent. Our guide was excellent. The drive to Mae kampong was extremely scary as the drive was unsafe. We never got to see the village and walk around as the driver was scaring us and we missed the meeting point. Unfortunately that made our excursion a disappointment

Quality of Experience

H

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide excellent. Driver awful

Transport

Fatbike Countryside Explorer

Chiang Mai

We ended up being the only two on the excursion. The bikes were in amazing condition. The guide was great and patient ( very safe when we had to cross highways). The lunch provided after the bike ride was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Grandma’s Cooking Experience

Chiang Mai

We loved our cooking experience at grandma S kitchen. Extremely well organized. They would prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and we got to cook and eat - a soup, pad Thai and a curry and dessert. They would clean up our station in between courses. Very efficient excursion with a funny chef

Quality of Experience

Quality of ingredients

Food

Delicious meal

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Similan Island - Small Group Tour

Thailand

Loved the similar islands although this is definitely not a small group - we were about 40 people side by side in A speed boat. It’s still worth it as the water is beautiful. There are a lot of other tour boats - so it’s crowded. The food provided after by the company was ok - not great.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food at the island was good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A larger boat with less people would have been better

Elephant Day Care at Patara Elephant Farm

Chiang Mai

We got to see several elephants rose freely including two 1 year old ( who were funny and kept escaping)We were 4 people to take care of 2 elephants - loved the one on one experience. The fruits at the end were sufficient for a snack

Quality of Experience

Love the one on one with the elephants

Food

The fruits were great as a snack but it wasn’t a meal. We had sticky rice too.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Not too much English but the staff was great

Transport