Who is Ratt? How do we get her?
May 26th, 2006, 03:53 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,034
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Type Ratt in the search box and you'll get a million posts about her and her colleages, pros and cons, prices and contacts. http://www.ratservice.com/index.aspx is her website.
May 26th, 2006, 07:20 PM
#3
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We used Ratt for 5 days in Bangkok. She is very helpful but the debate of Ratt Services became evident to us. Her English creates a minor communication problem. By that I mean we lost 25% of what she was trying to communicate and she lost 10-15% if what we were trying to communicate to her. She tries very hard to please and is 90+% effective-not 99%. I would have paid 20% more for my wife and I someone to capture 99%. But she is a very lovely and caring person and was always on time and would do all that we requested, She is $80-$90USD a day with gas for 10-11 hours in day trips well outside Bangkok. In city she is about $70USD for a 10 hour day.
May 26th, 2006, 07:59 PM
#6
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,516
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This brought an interesting question to my mind. I have been to BKK 5 times a couple of those times have been extensive trips in Thailand but I have never used a guide. In Oct my hubby & I will have a 4 day strech in BKK after our trip to Cambodia. I could easily fritter away 4 days wandering in BKK but he said we should try to find "something to do" on at least one of those days. Do you think we should try to book a day trip somewhere out of BKK with someone like Ratt? If so where?
Maggie I am sorry if this is hijacking your post but hopefully it will biring in some good information for you too.
J
Maggie I am sorry if this is hijacking your post but hopefully it will biring in some good information for you too.
J
May 26th, 2006, 09:43 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,034
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jules39 I thought you might be interested in the Bangkok section of this trip report. The time with Tong seemed to me as very special. Like you, we've never had a guide in Bangkok, but next time we go we want to do something similar to what offwego did. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34738005
May 27th, 2006, 08:08 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
jules, I highly recommend the Prasart - I used a river from Julie Taxi to get there. As Bob says it is a half a day. We then used the driver to take us to an antiques store far off the beaten path. So you might combine a trip to the Prasart with something else you want to do that is away from the usual locales. We had a driver for 6 hours that day. You can see photos of the Prasart at our website www.marlandc.com We were there in November, 2005
I've been to Bangkok more than 20 times, and I've never used a guide. The activities with Tong sounded interesting to me, and I might consider using her at some point in the future. I don't feel the need for a guide (or even a driver) to the usual sight-seeing spots.
I've been to Bangkok more than 20 times, and I've never used a guide. The activities with Tong sounded interesting to me, and I might consider using her at some point in the future. I don't feel the need for a guide (or even a driver) to the usual sight-seeing spots.
May 27th, 2006, 08:44 AM
#10
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am a " hunt and peck typist so I will give a highlight report in the next week or so. We returned 5/14 late PM.
Much of your comments were helpful in making a 15 days in Thailand and 10 in Malaysia worthwhile.
One quick comment. I booked Premium Economy on Thai Airways when it was first introduced and paid $1325/person-a real bargain.
Much of your comments were helpful in making a 15 days in Thailand and 10 in Malaysia worthwhile.
One quick comment. I booked Premium Economy on Thai Airways when it was first introduced and paid $1325/person-a real bargain.
May 27th, 2006, 01:50 PM
#11
With Julie of julietaxi.com there are no communication issues at all. She's extremely fluent (and has a wonderful sense of humor). I've seen posts here that she has from time to time let people down, but we found her to be wonderful. As I remember, she charged 2500 baht for a full day that included the floating market in the morning.
Karen
Karen
May 27th, 2006, 02:17 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,339
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We just used Ratt while we were in Bangkok last month..Yes, she is very nice...But we had a hard time understanding her..We did have some good laughs and she went out of her way to take us wherever we wanted to go..Not sure that i would use her again, however..
May 28th, 2006, 02:16 AM
#13
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 888
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We are currently planning our trip with Tong who is a licensed guide as opposed to a driver. Her written English is excellent, she has a great sense of humour. From reading reports of those who have been out touring with her, her spoken English is excellent too.
This will be our 6th or 7th trip to Thailand and we have never used a guide in Bangkok before but we wanted to dig a little deeper this time. She has also been helping me plan my wedding and has been scouting out wedding dressmakers for me, all in her own time. V nice lady.
This will be our 6th or 7th trip to Thailand and we have never used a guide in Bangkok before but we wanted to dig a little deeper this time. She has also been helping me plan my wedding and has been scouting out wedding dressmakers for me, all in her own time. V nice lady.
May 31st, 2006, 05:06 PM
#14
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We just returned from a trip to Koh Samui, Bangkok and Tokyo. This was our first trip to Bangkok and was joined by our daughter and her friend. We used Tong as our tour guide. She has a Toyota mini van that seats 7 comfortably.
She picked us from the airport, did two days of touring and dropped us to the airport. She is an excellent & licensed tour guide who writes and speaks English fluently. Her knowledge of Bangkok, its history, including Buddhism is impressive.
She was very flexible in arranging our itinerary, which included sightseeing in Bangkok
(Palace, temples, canal tour, massages, shopping at weekend market.) , Floating market, taste of authentic Thai cuisine, custom tailoring and best of all Tong made prior arrangements at the request of our daughter to visit an orphanage where we distributed ice-cream to 100 children. She also took us to a couple of places seldom visited by tourist. We found her to be a wonderful person full of humour.
During our trips, she had cool refreshments and snacks, including cool wipes.
It was very enjoyable having someone who cares. Her charges were very reasonable.
We highly recommend her and will definitely use her on our next trip to Bangkok.
She picked us from the airport, did two days of touring and dropped us to the airport. She is an excellent & licensed tour guide who writes and speaks English fluently. Her knowledge of Bangkok, its history, including Buddhism is impressive.
She was very flexible in arranging our itinerary, which included sightseeing in Bangkok
(Palace, temples, canal tour, massages, shopping at weekend market.) , Floating market, taste of authentic Thai cuisine, custom tailoring and best of all Tong made prior arrangements at the request of our daughter to visit an orphanage where we distributed ice-cream to 100 children. She also took us to a couple of places seldom visited by tourist. We found her to be a wonderful person full of humour.
During our trips, she had cool refreshments and snacks, including cool wipes.
It was very enjoyable having someone who cares. Her charges were very reasonable.
We highly recommend her and will definitely use her on our next trip to Bangkok.
May 31st, 2006, 05:12 PM
#15
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jun 1st, 2006, 06:39 AM
#16
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,242
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think its important to differentiate between a guide and a driver. I agree you really don't need a guide in BKK but having a driver is a god send in that god awefull heat/humidity. Drivers are fairly commen in Asia for those with the means. So if you think of it in those terms then the ability to have a driver at your disposal can be quite a treat. It really does consrve your energy and you wind up doing and seeing more each day. We used Ratt as a driver and got twice as much done without expending all the energy! Do you need one- of course not but then again neither do you need a 5 star hotel but you like those 5 star hotels!
Jun 1st, 2006, 07:09 AM
#17
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 888
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Different strokes for different folks - I can't see the point of a driver in BKK, especially if you are staying on the river and have access to the Skytrain and Express Boat for speedy manouevring around the city. Taxis are plentiful too and cheap but I HATE getting stuck in traffic.
I can see the merits of a driver if you are taking a trip out of town to perhaps Prasart Museum or somewhere as a taxi driver may not know where to go.
We haven't used a guide in our previous 5 or 6 trips to Thailand but we are this time - after reading offwego's report. I think it will help us understand things to a greater depth. I guess it is the difference between understanding and merely seeing.
I can see the merits of a driver if you are taking a trip out of town to perhaps Prasart Museum or somewhere as a taxi driver may not know where to go.
We haven't used a guide in our previous 5 or 6 trips to Thailand but we are this time - after reading offwego's report. I think it will help us understand things to a greater depth. I guess it is the difference between understanding and merely seeing.
Jun 1st, 2006, 07:16 AM
#18
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,242
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes everyone is different and so are their desires in this regard. We did both in BKK. We found on those days that we were taking the skytrain, taxis, boats etc that we were worn out by all the walking to and fro using these transportation options. With Ratt we were much more refreshed- she had cold towels and bottled water to give us and always dropped us off in front of the sights. As I said its not a requirement but a nice to have!
Jun 2nd, 2006, 07:01 AM
#19
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We got back from our trip to Thailand a few weeks ago and I finally have a chance to sit down and writ about our amazing experience!
My friend and I are teachers in Japan and we had a one week holiday so decided to visit Thailand, where my parents met up with us for one week. We were in Koh Samui for 4 days and Bangkok for 3 days. While Koh Samui was beautiful we weren't satisfied with the service we received.
Thankfully we had an AMAZING time in Bangkok and this is all thanks to Tong. She was absolutely incredible and really went the extra mile to make sure we had a memorable trip.
Tong's English is excellent and she promptly replied to all our emails when planning what we would see and do in Bangkok. She was flexible and offered many great ideas and created tailor made itineraries for us.
When we arrived in Bangkok we were greeted by Tong’s smiling face. She has an awesome sense of humour and made us laugh the entire time. She created an incredible 2 day itinerary for us; complete with temples, the palace, shopping at the weekend market and floating market, massages, custom made suits and a dress for my parents, canal tour and lunches at authentic, local Thai food restaurants.
The best part of the whole thing was visiting a local orphanage in Bangkok where we had the opportunity to buy the children ice cream and spend a few hours with them. This is something I have always wanted to do and was one of the most touching moments in my life. When planning our trip I had asked Tong is this was possible and she arranged everything for us and ensured that the experience was not only worthwhile for us but also for the children.
Her van was really clean and comfortably cool. She always had snacks and cold drinks for us and cold wet cloths for when it got really hot!
The best thing about Tong is that she is an honest, genuine person with a heart of gold. She goes out of her way for her clients and treats them like family. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a great time in Bangkok, seeing some places off the beaten track and meeting a local Thai person who is out of this world!
My friend and I are teachers in Japan and we had a one week holiday so decided to visit Thailand, where my parents met up with us for one week. We were in Koh Samui for 4 days and Bangkok for 3 days. While Koh Samui was beautiful we weren't satisfied with the service we received.
Thankfully we had an AMAZING time in Bangkok and this is all thanks to Tong. She was absolutely incredible and really went the extra mile to make sure we had a memorable trip.
Tong's English is excellent and she promptly replied to all our emails when planning what we would see and do in Bangkok. She was flexible and offered many great ideas and created tailor made itineraries for us.
When we arrived in Bangkok we were greeted by Tong’s smiling face. She has an awesome sense of humour and made us laugh the entire time. She created an incredible 2 day itinerary for us; complete with temples, the palace, shopping at the weekend market and floating market, massages, custom made suits and a dress for my parents, canal tour and lunches at authentic, local Thai food restaurants.
The best part of the whole thing was visiting a local orphanage in Bangkok where we had the opportunity to buy the children ice cream and spend a few hours with them. This is something I have always wanted to do and was one of the most touching moments in my life. When planning our trip I had asked Tong is this was possible and she arranged everything for us and ensured that the experience was not only worthwhile for us but also for the children.
Her van was really clean and comfortably cool. She always had snacks and cold drinks for us and cold wet cloths for when it got really hot!
The best thing about Tong is that she is an honest, genuine person with a heart of gold. She goes out of her way for her clients and treats them like family. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a great time in Bangkok, seeing some places off the beaten track and meeting a local Thai person who is out of this world!
Jun 2nd, 2006, 07:13 PM
#20
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In terms of honesty, reliability and desire to please Ratt was as good a driver first-guide secomd we have had in probably 40 trips were we used guides for 1 or more days.
Not having used Tong I cannot compare but based on what has been said if we go back for a third time in 2-3 years and Ms. Tong is still in business, I will try her for as I said before for an extra 500Baht for a 10-11 hr. day the communication skills would be worth it plus maybe more cultural/historical knowledge.Aome mentioned 9-10 months ago about Ratt's shpwing up on time. She was always where we asked her to be at the agreed upom time. If you are staying at the Pen, she lives 10-15 minutes away even in traffic.
Not having used Tong I cannot compare but based on what has been said if we go back for a third time in 2-3 years and Ms. Tong is still in business, I will try her for as I said before for an extra 500Baht for a 10-11 hr. day the communication skills would be worth it plus maybe more cultural/historical knowledge.Aome mentioned 9-10 months ago about Ratt's shpwing up on time. She was always where we asked her to be at the agreed upom time. If you are staying at the Pen, she lives 10-15 minutes away even in traffic.
