Audley Travel
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Beyond Expectations - our Thailand adventure
We have just returned from our Tailormade 33-day tour and beach holiday in Thailand. What an amazing experience; it certainly did not disappoint and in fact, exceeded all expectations. We planned our itinerary with the insider knowledge and advice of Mark Hotham, South East Asia Specialist at Audley Travel. His suggestions gave us just the right balance of cultural and historical sites, countryside and nature, food experience, varied activities and the opportunity to engage with people from the local communities. Travel arrangements and transfers were smoothly conducted, and we were informed about any changes in the programme. Vehicles were clean and comfortable and we always felt safe being driven on often hectic roads. Our local guides were all very knowledgeable and clearly proud of this and enjoyed sharing this with us. We also appreciated their knowledge of transport systems, knowledge of the local area and ability to access entry tickets as a priority, therefore reducing wait time. They managed to adapt and change the schedule to incorporate the optimum experiences for us; for example, when there would be fewer people, cooler temperatures, or even changing the route and order of visits. Our guides recognised when we were flagging and offered timely refreshment and comfort breaks. It was interesting to learn directly from them about life in Thailand and they offered insight into their own lives. We developed a particularly good rapport with two guides and this is in part due to continuity over a period of time. However, we greatly appreciate that these two guides had such wonderful personalities, coupled with a passion for their jobs and a positive attitude towards providing excellent customer experience. Details of guide reviews in separate document. We would like to acknowledge the organisational arrangements provided by Exo Travel – Thailand who coordinated bookings, internal travel, transfers and guides for a seamless experience We are fortunate to have the luxurious commodity of time and so were able to build in time to relax and enjoy the environment rather than constantly travelling day after day. For example, we occasionally included in our itinerary an extra day so we could make use of the hotel facilities for a full day rather than simply a couple of hours after an excursion, or take time out to explore on our own. We also really enjoyed the sometimes-brutal Thai massage in several locations! The quality of accommodation we stayed in ranged through Simple (x4), Medium (x5) and First Class (x1) (Audley classifications) All were welcoming, clean and had a comfortable bed. We were more than satisfied with most that we stayed at. In making our booking, we understood that in some instances there were limited accommodation options and therefore we were forewarned of any potential negative issues. There were two hotels where in hindsight we would not wish to stay again; one was the only option. The other was selected as a convenient location for a flight the following day but we would choose a longer drive time in preference to this hotel. Details of accommodation reviews in separate document. We feel very fortunate to have had this incredible experience of Thailand which we could not possibly have constructed ourselves and would like to thank Mark, our SE Asia Specialist Adviser for his expert knowledge, advice and seemingly endless patience which have undoubtedly contributed to making this trip the best we have experienced, through any company, ever!