Tantalizing Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi Tour

I can’t imagine going to Thailand without this Travel Company: they gave us a beautiful, tailor-made itinerary with no-stress travel from beginning to end. At the outset, our decision to use Zicasso for this trip was based on the following factors: 1) previous amazing experience booking/planning our honeymoon, 2) loved ones’ stories of travel difficulties in Thailand, and 3) our confidence in the travel planner’s (owner and founder, Travel Company) abilities and expertise. Additionally, my husband and I have very demanding careers with very little personal time; thus, planning a Thailand itinerary that incorporated every city and activity we desired seemed like a gargantuan task. 

Of those we spoke to, our travel planner was most exceptional, and his own experiences of once being a newcomer in Thailand shaped his unique perspective on must-see sights and worthwhile adventures. Our planner spent a great deal of time speaking to us one-on-one by phone as he planned the trip, and stayed available to us throughout our time in Thailand by an app. Our trip was 14-days (18 days counting travel), and involved many transfers by air, car, boat, and bus. The planner advised us on what to book, and even helped us decide the cities and length of time spent in each city. Our itinerary incorporated 3 nights in Chiang Mai, 5 nights in Krabi, 4 nights in Bangkok (6 if you count the first and last nights), and 2 nights in Kanchanaburi. Our travel planner booked every single activity, hotel, and car, bus, boat, and flight for us: from in-country domestic flights to making dinner reservations for us. For Krabi, I wanted a jacuzzi villa at a beautiful resort only accessible by boat and he secured it for us! The most difficult hotel to book was the floating villa on the River Kwai; it’s considered one of the most beautiful floating hotels in the world, so it was a high-priority and somewhat difficult but our planner did it! 

Since I am vegetarian, the travel planner went above-and-beyond to book me vegetarian meals on every domestic flight and for every activity. Every guide and/or driver was made aware of the vegetarian issue, and--in the end--it was as if I had more [vegetarian] food than the meat-eaters! I’ve never felt so accepted and included as I did on this trip. I’ve been to countries where these accommodations were not fully provided by guides/agents; thankfully, these struggles have long been “history” since we started booking with Zicasso!

Even if he was out of the office, our planner had us connected with his other team members, and every guide and driver was provided our contact and vice versa. For our time in Kanchanaburi, we were booked an amazing guide who was with us from pick-up to drop-off (3 days!) for all of our Kanchanaburi activities. I had a concerning abrasion after a fall in Krabi, and our guide took us to a hospital, translated for us, and even coordinated with the doctors to expedite our clinic visit.

We can’t imagine our trip without this Travel Company, and the fabulously flawless care provided by the travel planner and his team. Our planner’s dedication to perfectionism and seamlessness shines through how he runs the company, and we are grateful that we were matched up with them. For anyone on the fence, the extra funds required to book a comprehensive package really are worth it for Thailand. Especially if you want to travel outside of the city you fly into, hiring a team like this company is absolutely imperative if you want confidence and trust in those transporting you and guiding you through each city. 

This is a long overdue review. We traveled to different areas of Thailand for 2 weeks at the end of January and beginning of February 2018. After being matched with this travel company, our agent made the process of planning this vacation very simple. He responded quickly to questions, was available through text, email, and phone, and put together a wonderful itinerary for us. We visited Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai, and Koh Lanta, which were all unique and amazing in their own respects. What we were really impressed with is that our agent and his team made sure that someone was always waiting for us at our next stop, whether it was someone to pick us up at the airport or a tour guide waiting for us at our hotel. Unfortunately, there was one issue with our airplane tickets being accidentally booked incorrectly, but after getting on the phone with our agent, we were able to resolve it quickly and were able to continue on to Krabi as planned. I must say my fiancé and I were really impressed with the quality of the tours that were arranged for us by this travel agent. I cannot say enough about how much I absolutely adored our tour guide in Bangkok. Kanchanaburi was beautiful and my most favorite part was waking up to the sound of the flowing river on our jungle raft in the morning. We also loved the cooking class with a local Lanna family and visiting the Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai and the Scuba Dive in Koh Lanta. The hotel was a spectacular treat in Koh Lanta. Our agent booked us a beachfront suite that was literally steps from the hotel's private beach front, and the perfect place to get engaged in Thailand.  This was an amazing unforgettable trip for the both of us and we cannot thank this travel company enough. Our travel agent and his team made this trip stress-free and wonderful. I would use his company again in a heartbeat and encourage anyone who is planning a trip to Thailand to utilize them as well. I promise you will not be disappointed! Thank you so much to our agent and the travel company's team. 

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!

Communication with our trip planner was absolutely excellent. We were met exactly where we were supposed to be exactly on time in a very seamless fashion. We really enjoyed the various modes of transportation within Bangkok. That adds a lot to the trip as opposed to perhaps simply a cab ride.We had two guides:one for Bangkok and another for biking in Ayutthaya. Just one suggestion about the guide in Bangkok. We were nervous about being dropped off within the subway to find our way back to our street and our hotel though we did manage after asking a lot of questions of the guide.  Our baking guide was extremely attentive and went one of our travel partners fell off of her bike they rushed to her side to help. They noticed one of us was very red in the face and stopped for a cool off.

We planned this trip several months in advance and stayed in Downtown Bankgkok near Terminal 21 Mall. Using the travel company was great, they took care of the tour guise who spoke good English she showed us several Wats, Bhuddist Temples. It was long hot day but they company made it easy for us.