Ten-Day Thailand Family Adventure: Culture, Jungles & Islands

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.

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!

The Zicasso travel team made my birthday "bucket-list" trip incredible! Every detail of my trip was expertly taken care of. All my scheduled tours were on time despite a little "liquid sunshine".

Our trip entailed visits to three areas in Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui). In each location, our tour guides were amazing!

In Bangkok, we were greeted and expertly ushered to the various incredible sights and activities by two guides. In Chiang Mai, we were greeted and introduced to the sights and history by another guide. Everyone was very knowledge and made each tour interesting and engaging,

We could not have asked for more on this incredible trip! Without a doubt, I will be seeing Thailand again in my very near future and with no other than the team from Zicasso's travel company! Thank you to our agent and his team.

We had a great trip to Thailand with our Zicasso trip planner. They set us up with a very helpful guide in Bangkok, who made it easy from the time we stepped off the plane, through all the temples, activities, night markets, tuk-tuks, and boats. 

Our hotel in Bangkok was great, with nice views and a nice breakfast buffet. We took the free hotel ferry to the shopping mall and it was a lot of fun. 

Our resort in Koh Samui was incredible. It had a great beach and pool. The elephant sanctuary and the cooking class were highlights. We would probably pass on Pig Island next time as it was very dirty and we saw pigs getting attacked.

Overall, we had a great time and the tour guide took care of us completely, from start to finish. 

Unforgettable! It's hard for me to put into words how amazing this trip was. From our first visit with Zicasso’s travel specialist, he seemed to know us and tailored our trip to fit us perfectly. We have learned when taking these big trips that it's best to just follow the experts’ advice and suggestions, and the travel company did not disappoint.

One thing that was truly beyond exceptional was the Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai. This was not even something I knew of, but was suggested by the travel specialist since our days lined up while there. This was the most moving and emotional experience I've ever had in my life! Thank you so, so much.

We loved our trip to Thailand with our Zicasso agent, who provided expertise and details that fulfilled our goals. We had a short time period with a busy up-front schedule.  Thankfully, we could relax in sheer natural beauty at the end. 

Highlights: Our Bangkok guide, who kept in touch throughout our trip, was a wonderful surprise, and is now a friend! He wore an unsung hero cape as he juggled changes seamlessly! Some major highlights that we loved were the temples, temples, temples, train market, floating market, canal boat ride, Chiang Mai's mountain village, and the elephant sanctuary – that was a beautiful experience we will never forget. And the speedboat island tour was fantastic!! Those were the major Zicasso highlights and we are happy to provide more details too.  

Areas to change: Given this was our first Zicasso trip and we are now true fans (sharing with our friends), this one tweak is really for our family preferences. For us, it was hard to get back into the car once we hit the ocean. On our next Zicasso vacation, we know to ask how much driving will be involved in seeing the sites for awareness. We may have kept the same itinerary, it just would have been great to know ahead of time.