We plan to visit Chang Rai early next year, staying at Anantara for five nights, can anyone recommend a guide with a car for a day and if so do you have contact details? I have done a search on this site but unable to find anything useful. Would it be cheaper to book independently rather than via the hotel?

Hello

My husband and I visited Northern Thailand at Easter last year. We also stayed at the Anantara Hotel near Chiang Saen.

I would highly recommend our driver / guide - Eric Kok. He does homestays in his home near Chiang Rai and is a really lovely man. He speaks wonderful English, and is very reliable. His email address is [email protected].
I think he is still guiding - it is definately better to book a guide independently, rather than through the hotel in my opinion. Much cheaper, and you can go wherever you like.

If you want any other information about him, I would be happy to answer any questions. Debbie.

Hello Debbie

Thank you very much for your response, it was really useful. I will contact Eric Kok directly. Last year in Cambodia we booked a guide via the hotel and they took a percentage of the rates quoted, so want to ensure that the guide receives full fees.

Great news.

Eric is a lovely man. He also does homestays.

Could you let him know that Debbie and Simon from Suffolk, UK send their love to him and his family?

You'll love the Anantara - bathing the elephants in the river is an experience I will never forget!!

These threads have guide info too.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34950356

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34970163

Hi Debbie

We will most certainly pass on your regards to Eric Kok, I have emailed him regarding availability for next February, and are awaiting a response so fingers crossed. We are very much looking forward to our visit to Golden Triangle especially the Elephant Camp -can't wait!! I will be sure to let you know how we get on. Thank you once again.

Hi KimJapan

Just a quick thank you for taking the trouble to post the threads, we have now been able to contact Eric Kok.

Hi Debbie

Just to let you know that Eric has agreed to be our guide for a couple of days next February whilst we stay at Ananatara. His comments were:-

"Thanks to Debbie and Simon for recommending our name to your goodself. They are a wonderful and the most caring couple from the Western World. God bless them."

Ahh!! I thought that was lovely and that you would like to see his comments. We are very much looking forward to meeting him. Thanks again.

Debbie, I have contacted Eric for guide services during our December stay at Anantara. He has agree and indeed, writes a gracious email. However, his pricing is exactly the same as that provided by Anantara resort concierge for the same services -- transport from airport to resort and one day additional guided touring. During your stay, did you find his service to be less expensive or superior to that provided by the hotel? Could you tell me what type vehicle he used for your excursions? We are four adults. The resort is offering a van as transport. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

Regards.

What are his rates for airport pickup and a days touring.

His rate for transport from airport to Anantara is 3000 BHT (about $90 in the current currency exchange BHT/USD) and 6000 BHT for one day touring and transport from Anantara Resort to Phu Chaisai Resort. Anantara quotes 3531 BHT and 6420 BHT for the same. I am not overly concerned about the amount of money, just that Debbie stated it was "much cheaper" to book independent of the hotel. Wondering if resort pricing has decreased, or Eric has increased?

My experience with Eric Kok: We decided to use the Anantara greeting service when we arrived in Chang Rai and I can't say I'm sorry. The price was the same as what Eric wanted and the service was amazing. A beautiful, Thai dressed hostess met us and she and the driver cared for us like royalty.

I did contract with Eric for one day guide service. The agreement was one day with him (Eric the English speaker) in his van to transport our party of 4 from Anantara Resort to Phu Chasai Resort with sightseeing and lunch between the two. For this his charge was $180 USD. I had to mail half down in the form of a US mail order (+$7 fee to him for cashing it) prior to the trip.

The day before our meeting, Eric phoned me to say he had hurt his knee and wrecked his car. He would send a substitute guide -- which he ASSURED me was a perfect English speaker and very knowledgable. As it turned out the guy, Mr. Don, didn't speak one single word of English. So much so, that we stood at the entrance of Anantara for 45 minutes waiting for him to arrive and he stood next to us smoking and waiting. We didn't know it was him and he didn't ask -- anyone. Finally, the hotel concierge helped us work out the confussion. She was kind enough to give me her private cell phone number so that I could use her as an enterpreter during our day with him.

Bottom line....not too impressed with Eric's service. He did not phone us once during the day to see how it was going or contact me after to get an assessment. I felt a bit overcharged as we really only had a driver - not a guide for the day. I don't think I would recommend Eric Kok. Sorry, Deb and Simon.

TC - Thank you so much for taking the time to report back. We are at the Anantara in March and I just contacted Eric via e-mail. I thought his price seemed a bit high (roughly the same as Anantara) so was planning on contacting Waow. I will definitely do that now. Even if she is not available will probably try to get Doi through the Anantara (I believe that is who Crosscheck used).

We used Waow last year for a tour of Chiang Rai and a quick stop into Mynmar. We worked it so that we stayed in Chiang Rai (city) for one night since our flight got in in the evening. Then the following morning, Waow picked us up from the airport and we did the tour on the way to the Anantara and she dropped us off at the Anantara at the end. Kinda killed two birds with one stone (transport to hotel and tour all at once). We even did a little service project where we fed the monks in Chiang Rai (city) before we started the tour. It was AWESOME!
She was soooooo good and very well priced. We had a group of 9 people and every person loved her!

Let me know if you have any other questions. We had a blast last year!!!

Does anyone else have a guide for the Chiang Rai area that they recommend? I want to use a guide from CR because I will need them for 2 days. I tentatively have Eric reserved, but after reading about the guide switch, I would like a back up because we need them for our business.

I forgot to add the dates that I need a guide are in February.

We had Sgt. Kai for our 5 day tour of Northern Thailand. He actually lives in CM so I am not sure if he would work out but I would highly reccomend him.If you need his E-mail let me know I will look it up for him-I got him on the Fodor site-Chris

Stitchintime -- when will you be in Chiang Rai? I'm there the end of Feb.

I'll be in Chiang Rai Feb 6-8, CM Feb 9-16 and BKK Jan Feb 1-6, 16-20. It will be our first trip to Chiang Rai and we are on a textile search for our business. I want to find a local guide in Chiang Rai, so there will not be additional hotel and meal expenses for a guide from Chiang Mai. I think a local guide may know more about the hill tribe textiles and silk villages in their area.