Luxury Thailand Travel Review:Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Angthong National Park, Elephants, Kayaking, Cooking Class

Our family of four traveled to Thailand in June 2013. This Thailand travel company handled all arrangements including itinerary, hotels, airlines, ground transportation, tours and activities. We were thrilled with the trip and give these Thailand travel specialists our highest recommendation. We had a great time on the trip. All of the arrangements, tours, guides, and hotels were terrific. The following are a few thoughts: In Bangkok we stayed at the Chatrium. Overall, we were satisfied with this hotel. The public areas of the hotel, the general location, the service and the breakfast buffet were terrific. Having said that, we were not as thrilled with our individual rooms (we had two). The rooms and bathrooms were a little tired. We had talked about upgrading the hotel to the Four Seasons or the Mandarin Oriental but we decided to save the money and use it to upgrade our hotel in Koh Samui. I think that was probably the right decision. Our tour guide in Bangkok, Pom, was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable, prompt, helpful and kind. We could not have asked for a better tour guide. He picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel. On the ride to the hotel, he gave us a wonderful introduction to Thailand and explained about the language and culture. Because this was our first visit to Thailand, this was very helpful. On our second day, Pom picked us up and took us to see all of the major sights in Bangkok including the Golden Buddha, the Reclining Buddha and the Grand Palace and grounds. In between, we took a boat ride through the canals of Bangkok and we shared lunch together. Moreover, when we expressed interest in flowers, he took us to the flower and spice markets, which was beautiful and interesting. On the third day, we were on our own to explore (and shop). This was a good break for us and my kids especially liked the opportunity to explore on our own. On the last day in Bangkok, Pom took us to the floating market before heading to the airport. Pom presented my youngest daughter (who had recently graduated from High School) with a huge teddy bear. We were all very touched. In Chiang Mai, we were again met by a very friendly guide. Although we did not spend much time with her, she was very nice and helpful. In Chiang Mai we stayed at UChiangMai Hotel. This small boutique hotel was lovely. It is within the walled city and was perfectly located to explore the city. The hotel was really intimate and wonderful. The staff of the hotel was particularly helpful and the buffet breakfast was excellent. The highlight of the trip was probably our day at the Patara Elephant camp. You can read all about Patara on other sites but it is a fantastic program and we all really enjoyed the experience and had a wonderful time. The following day we went to the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School. Our instructor was excellent and we really enjoyed the program start to finish. There was only one other person at the school that day, so it felt like a private cooking class. Next, we flew to Koh Samui. We stayed at the SALA Samui Resort. We absolutely loved this hotel. It was picture perfect. What a great location, facilities, service and food. At check in we were presented with cold towels and drinks and introduced to the Hotel Manager (Dick). Our rooms were beautiful and luxurious. The amenities were first class. The breakfast buffet was fantastic. I think this was the perfect hotel for us.