Tour guide
 

Hello, In early Nov I will be in Bangkok, and Chaing Mai/Rai for 7 days. I am looking for some guidence with regards to tour guides. More budget is generous as this will be part of my Honeymoon, but I am not a big fan of the package tours I see all over the internet. I am hoping to find a frenidly tour guide who is not a tour guide cutout. Any help would be apprecaited.

My wife and I were in Thailand last year in November. We had great luck using guides from East-West Siam. They're on the net. We had an air conditioned minivan, driver and separate guide each day. The pace was very relaxed. I highly recommend them.

quite honestly for bangkok you really don't need a tour guide...do your homework before you go and select what you want to see....a tour guide would take you via auto and that is the slowest way to move in bkk....your time is limited so going at your own pace would be best....maybe a one day highlights tour would be adequate...you can get this from your hotel once you arrive...you will be very tired on day one so plan for a quiet day (if coming from the usa)...maybe an afternoon tour...then do the rest on your own...make sure you have someone pick you up at the airport on your arrival...hotel car might be best arranged from your hotel in advance--cost around $35....

there is a driver who many have complimented this spring/summer in bkk....she goes by the name "rat"...her e-mail address is: [email protected] name is mrs vimolrat kantapiyo...
taxis are very cheap but sometimes slow for getting around at off times and in a/c...she is actually a taxi driver i am told...

in chiang mai i have used mr manop noomsri...his telephone is 01-9527501 (anytime--cell phone)...he is very reliable and his english is good...you can locate him at the airport in car space #11.....just ask any driver for manop....the time difference from usa eat coast to thailand is 12 hours so you could try to call him to make arrangements---he probably has e-mail but i do not have that info

by the way there is no better time than november to go....any chance to squeek out more than 7 days??? its a long ways to go for a short period with so much to see and do

good luck

Thank you very much for your help, I actually will be in Thailand 15 days, my plan is 4 BKK, 4 Chaing Mai/Rai, 6 Krabi, 2 BKK. From what I have read, BKK is an easily traveled city via tram, and the riverside hotels are easy to get to. Any trip suggestions would be greatly appreciated, especially high-end resorts/hotels that are worth the money.

in bkk we love the marriott resort and spa...also the peninsula---both on the river..on sukumvit rd we like the jw marriott...

we have stayed at the westin in chiang mai and liked it very much, although it is not as centrally located....western standard at a low price---i think i paid $65....

in the chiang rai area the same group that owns the bkk resort and spa own a new hotel called something like boran boran...it looks quite nice...

The hotel in Chiang Rai (Chiang Sean/Golden Triangle) is Baan Boran, but I believe they've since changed their name (but you can probably still find them under Baan Boran).

We stayed there last October - best in the area, though not expensive. Lovely property, pool, good size rooms though not quite The Peninsula (BKK), but clean. Overlooks the border to Laos where you can see the new casino built there 2-yrs ago.

If you want expensive in Chiang Mai area, then go for the Regent, but that'll set you back a bout $400/nt. and is not in town, though they do have a shuttle bus.

rhkmhk is right. BKK can be done without a tour guide. However, we found that it was so cheap, it was impossible to pass up. We stayed on the river, at the Royal Orchid, and had no traffic problems whatsoever when driven by the East-West Siam vehicle. They alsso provided guides and support, e.g., airport transfers from BKK, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Phuket. I'd recommend finding out how much what you want costs and deciding thereafter.

I do strongly recommend staying on the river in BKK.

Excellent thank you. In BKK I am leaning towards staying at the Peninsula. Also,I found this place near Chaing Rai called the Phu Chaisai Mountain Resort & Spa, it looks realy nice, and they have a beautiful honeymoon suite for a good price @175. Has anyone heard of this place? Also how much time to I need in Chaing Mai, for trekking and hiking I hear that Chaing Rai is better?

good stay at the pen...it will be the best hotel of your life, and very inexpensive in bkk...

if you can afford it there is no other place that is nicer, except maybe the oriental in a $1000 suite....and it may old looking...

upgrade to a small suite at the pen and you will love it....the last two times i stayed there they asked me at check-in if i wanted an upgrade for $45 more per nite....make sure they know it is your honeymoon---send them an e-mail ahead of time and you will probably be pleasantly surprised....

Thank you very much, you have been a great help