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Average Review Rating:
from 7 reviews.
Graham James
CLASSIC THAILAND
Written
A good experience of the basic highlights of Thailand, done at a reasonably leisurely pace in reasonable accommodation. Basically delivering what was promised.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Getting away from the built up and to be frank, somewhat tawdry modern Thailand. The trips to the Natioal Parks were especially enlightening.
What did you think of your group leader?
She was adequate. She did the basic organisational stuff well but was a bit short on interesting background. However as the group was split between 2 minibuses it was somewhat difficult for her to provide a consistent service to all parties.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Try to ensure that the group is small enough to travel in one single group rather than split in two. The 2 buses were not ideal. Not sure why Exodus couldn't provide a single vehicle given that we were only 17 including our guide.
Also in Hua Hin the hotel was a bit past its best and some way out of the centre, necessitating a drive every evening to the restaurants and town action.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We had a good and varied group, and apart from the afore mentioned comments, the trip did what it said on the tin!
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Lots of things. It was really interesting seeing all the bits of the thailand Burma railway and hearing about what happened. The night in the hills near Chiang Mai was lovely. Food was fab and I really enjoyed the cooking day although there was too much food to eat!
What did you think of your group leader?
She was Ok. Because we travelled in 2 buses rather than all together it made it difficult for her to tell us extra stuff about Thailand. On previous holidays with Exodus the guide has talked during longer drives and answered questions about the country and culture etc. I missed that on this trip. Got a bit of conflicting info at times.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
On the day we travelled from the hioll tribe back to Chiang Mai it would have been better to do a longer walk before we got back on the bus. We arrived in Chaing Mai at 12.00 and our hotel rooms weren't ready so we wasted a couple of hours hanging about. I would have preferred to walk for longer or go somewhere else and then get back at 14.00 so we could go straight to our rooms and then go out exploring.
A great way to see and experience the many things that Thailand has to offer, including the capital, the former capital, the countryside, the rivers, the mountains, the coast, the national parks, the museums, the temples, the thai massages, the local enterainment and much more. You get to travel by plane, air conditioned mini-bus, train, sleeper-train, and even tuk tuk!! You get to sample Thai food in hotels, local restaurants and street markets and also learn to cook your own!! All this in just two weeks!!
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Getting the sleeper train from Ayutthaya to Chaing mai.
Thai cookery school.
Elephant trekking.
Phraya Nakhon cave at Khoa Sam Roi Yot National Park.
New Year in Bangkok.
Riding a tuk tuk.
What did you think of your group leader?
Boom our group leader was very knowledgeable and helped us to be safe and informed at every step of the way. She was friendly, made us laugh and always went the extra mile. She had lots of local knowledge and could confidently guide us to the best restaurants and street markets and help us order from the menu. She taught us how to be responsible tourists and helped us to learn some Thai phrases. Her excellent organisational skills and strong inter-personal skills allowed the trip to run smoothly and made us all bond as a group. Thank you Boom.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The start of the trip is quite fast paced, but there is time to relax at the end :)
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The riding on elephants and the Thai cookery school, which was very well run.
What did you think of your group leader?
Boom was a conscientious, communicative and very committed tour leader.
She answered a lot of questions and took her role seriously, but always kept smiling.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This is a very good first introduction to the country.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
My negatives on this tour were the so called trekking days which were much too short and
barely worth classifying as "trekking". One was a stroll to a waterfall of about an hour.
The other was a walk through a hilltribe village, which was also underwhelmingly short.
I would also prefer to have more time in Bangkok at the beginning, one night is not enough.
The activities on the programme were too condensed in the first 6 days, they should have been more spread out throughout to get a better balance between travel, activity and relaxation.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
There were so may highlights but probably favourites were:
- visiting the Hellfire Pass and Death Railway
- the moutain location for the Hilltribe stay (after the bustle of Bangkok the silence aside from cow bells was so tranquil)
- the cookery school was great fun and a brilliantly run day
- our group all really enjoyed the overnight rail trip
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader, Soon, was an amazing lady - funny, extremely knowledgeable, kind and had a really flexible appoach. She managed to accommodate our varied interests and preferences, take control, look after various dietary requiremets, and went out of her way to introduce us to all kinds of weird and wonderul foods, facts and tucked away markets and so on - all the while being great company.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The travel notes were pretty comprehensive. It is important to know that for visiting the Grand Palace in Bangkok you need to wear skirts below knee length or full length trousers - long shorts or 3/4 length trousers aren't allowed (for men or women). You also are advised to keep your shoulders covered for visiting any of the temples - and there are quite a few visited over the first few days, and more to be seen if you wish in Chiang Mail and Hua Hin....so think less strappy tops and more proper t-shirts or blouses for ladies to demonstrate respect.
The first few days are pretty full on - and can be tiring with the heat, after the travel out to Bangkok but you do get to slow down when you get into the hills. You may wish to have a sweatshirt /jumper for the evenings in the hills as it is a bit cooler.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I can't recommend this trip enough - I felt like we saw and did a huge amount - from cooking thai food to sliding into natural waterfalls to experiencing lots of cultural and historic sites. There wasn't a lot of 'down' time - mainly in the hills or in Hua Hin but it was welcome when we had it. The hotels were good to excellent (Hua Hin being the real 'wow' hotel) and the food was without exception fantastic - whether eating from street vendors or in hotels. Massages were amazing value (£4 on the beach/on streets or a 'pricey' £10-ish in hotels). As I've mentioned before Soon, our tour leader, was fab, and this really helped make everything fun and easy.
from 7 reviews.
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