14-Day Cultural Tour of Thailand’s Islands

Our Zicasso travel agent did a wonderful job taking our requests and styling a complex, detailed itinerary. Everything worked perfectly. The guides all communicated with each other and the drivers were always at the expected locations. All accommodations were awesome and well-located. 

Beginning in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we visited Doi Inthanon National Park, the Doi Suthep mountain temple, and had an absolutely awesome time visiting with elephants at the elephant sanctuary, among other things. We even got to play with a two-week-old elephant. All our dining recommendations were awesome and we particularly enjoyed our time with the guides.

Next, we flew to Krabi for unforgettable views and relaxing beach time. Again, the resort was awesome. We even went mountain climbing on Railay Beach. My son got engaged at the New Year's gala at our hotel, which was spectacular; an unbelievable stay. We particularly enjoyed our time with the guide!

Next, we finished in Bangkok, where the highlight was riding in the tuk-tuks and doing a city food tour. Our guide was so awesome and knowledgeable.

Unfortunately, eight of the 10 of us then flew home, while my wife and I continued to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our guide was such a good travel companion and we left Cambodia with a true knowledge of Cambodian life/history/temples. He was very forthcoming about his life growing up under the Khmer Rouge. Although a long day, the temple tour was unbelievable, culminating in Angkor Wat. Our hotel was awesome and blocks from the nightlife on Pub Street. It was such a great stay.

Next, we flew to Saigon. We were met by our guide, who noticed we were hungry and immediately stopped at a local street food vendor for our first foray into bun bo. It was so good. The mix of history, countryside visits, and city tours with our guide was awesome and she even left us with a customized pictorial of our visit. The other excursion that needs mention is the Vespa city and food tour. Our main guide was delightful, giving us a true taste of Saigon culture and food. The drivers were so great.  This tour finished with a surprise visit to a local bar/club, where we had front-row seats to an awesome Latin band for a nightcap. It was truly unforgettable. Also, we cannot forget our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, where our guide did a great job educating and touring us through this unbelievable history.

Then, we flew to Hanoi to another awesome location. Highlights in Hanoi would be visiting the Hoa Lo prison, having dinner in a local family's home, and especially the Minsk backstreet tour. Our tour drivers were so awesome. This excursion really gave us a feel for the city/backstreets, as well as an idea of the frightening life of riding a motorbike through the city and back alleys of Hanoi. It was truly unforgettable. This tour finished with my knees about a foot away from the speeding train at Hanoi train station, another can't-miss site!

Next, we visited Ninh Binh for trekking, biking, and bamboo boating. The scenery was awesome and it was definitely a nice break from the busy city.

The trip finished with a two-night, three-day cruise on Hạ Long Bay. The scenery was unbelievable and the staff were excellent; so attentive and informative.

This trip truly was spectacular and we are so happy that Zicasso connected us with our agent to make all of this happen. We couldn't be happier with the entire trip!

We really enjoyed our trip. I'd like to give you a detailed review. Zicasso's travel agent did a great job setting up our itinerary. When we had a problem in Krabi, the team was great at helping resolve it.

Our evening food tour in Bangkok was a lot of fun and our guide was great at explaining a lot about the food. The guide who picked us up at the airport was excellent. He got us an extra SIM card. The next day, we had a wonderful experience with him at the Temple of Dawn and the Royal Palace. He took us to the airport and came in with us to make sure we were properly checked in.

Cambodia was an interesting trip. Unfortunately, the guide was not as good as all the other guides. He texted me that he was outside at the airport. I texted him back when we had our luggage and came outside. We couldn't find him for more than 15 minutes. All the other guides were lined up with signs. He finally showed up and said he had been sitting off to the side. He also did not have our SIM card. He said we couldn't stop for it because he had forgotten his ID card. He did bring the SIM cards to the hotel later. He was well-informed about the various sites we visited. At the end of the first day, when he was taking us back to the hotel, I mentioned we were supposed to go to the Killing Fields. He said he had forgotten and it was too hot and too late, even though we still had another hour of touring left. He rearranged our next two days so we could include the Killing Fields. On the last day, when he brought us to the airport, he dropped us off outside and left. This is not the attention we received from the other guides. I felt he knew the necessary information to share as a guide, but lacked the professionalism of the other guides.

Our guide in Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai was wonderful! She was very attentive, knowledgeable, and flexible, and a pleasure to spend time with. She also came into the airport with us when we were leaving to make sure everything was in order.

Krabi was nice and relaxing. There was a problem with our room at the hotel. They put us on a side where there was garbage and loud construction going on. When we originally booked Krabi, the hotel that was recommended no longer had the room available that was quoted and we did not want to spend extra to upgrade, so we were put in this hotel. This was not our agent's fault; the hotel should not have put any guests on that side of that building. Our agent was quick to address the situation and the next day we were moved to a nicer room in a different building.

Overall, it was a wonderful vacation. This was our second time booking through Zicasso and both trips were wonderful. Thank you.

The trip covered a lot of ground, with four cities in Thailand and Siem Reap in Cambodia. The details and the logistics of the trip were timely and well communicated by Zicasso's travel company. The guides were punctual, well-informed, and passionate about the countries' histories.

We recently returned from a 10-day trip to Bangkok, Krabi, and Chiang Mai. The trip was expertly planned by Zicasso's travel designer and their team, and it was nothing short of amazing. From the moment we stepped out from the jetway, we were warmly greeted by one of the travel company's team members. We were taken care of from the point of arrival to the point of departure and everywhere in between. They planned an unforgettable vacation to celebrate our daughter's college graduation and she was "wowed" with the elephants, the food tour, the beach, and, most importantly, the people.

I wholeheartedly recommend this travel company to plan your next dream vacation. It was nothing short of amazing and we look forward to returning.

During the trip, our Zicasso travel agent promptly responded to issues/inconveniences. Our guides in Bangkok and in Siem Reap were the best tour guides of them all, as were the foodie tour guides in Bangkok and Phuket. We truly enjoyed this trip.

It was a terrific trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. It was well-organized by `Zicasso's travel company, with great guides, activities, and unique experiences.