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...
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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.)
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
Food
Tony gave us great suggestions of what to order at lunch since we were overwhelmed by all the choices.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.)
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.
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Pai - Sunrise at Yuan Lai Viewpoint - Bamboo Rafting at Tham Lod Cave - Ban Jabo Village - Sunset Hangout at Pai Canyon
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Morning session)
Chiang Mai
So fun to see the elephants up close and get to feed/bathe them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Henry was great and also suggested a great local place for lunch.
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!
Local specialist: Kien Nguyen