Thinking about exploring Thailand?

We have just returned from a phenomenal trip to Thailand that we wanted to share with anyone looking to plan an individualized trip there by experiencing the best Thailand has to offer while avoiding the typical tourist traps.

My parents came to Thailand in 2003 and took a tour with Elderhostel, which is typically known for putting together culturally-rich programs for active seniors. Their tour guide, Louis Jubkwamsuk, left such a positive impression that we decided to contact him for our two-week trip to southern Thailand in December 2007. Louis was incredible and planned the perfect trip for our needs and wants.

We spent the first week of our vacation at The Racha on Koh Racha Yai, an island about 40 minutes by boat from Phuket. We were looking for an unspoiled and quiet oasis to unwind from the stress back home. Louis arranged for us to stay at The Racha and we cannot tout this resort highly enough. The resort lived up to the reviews we had read. It was quiet with only 70 villa rooms and the service was top-notch. We were especially impressed by the breakfasts which certainly rival any of the 5-star hotels we have stayed at in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Everything from delicious fresh-baked bread and pastries (different each day) to made-to-order omelets and tasty espresso-based coffee was on offer. The prices at the resort were on the high-side but we thought this was warranted given the quality and high-level of service. We had a superior villa near the back of the resort which we thought was great as the ocean front rooms lacked somewhat in privacy. We spent most of our time either at the infinity pool overlooking the bay or at the garden pool - at both we were brought cold, refreshing towels and fresh fruit shakes with full restaurant service. We thought the music piped-in underwater and the lemongrass-scented bug spray that the staff offered were particularly nice touches. We also discovered a few other restaurants on the island, one down the beach from The Racha (5 minute walk and you can also go here at night), which served much less-expensive Thai food. The local restaurants were delicious but lacked the flair found at the Racha. A must-see is Siam Bay, which is about a 10 minute walk on the other side of the island. Whereas the bay at the Racha is often filled with boats (this is the only 'dock' on the island), Siam Bay is secluded but has a few good places to eat and get messages and the snorkeling was great!
Like all the beaches on the island, the beach was very clean with beautiful fine white-sand. We looked at the other two places to stay on the island but none came anywhere close to The Racha. We will definitely be back!

After our week of R&R at The Racha, the real adventure part of our trip began. Louis found us a great liveaboard dive boat where we spent 4 full days diving around the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea. The diving here was spectacular for soft and hard corals especially. We had previously been to the Maldives and Australia (Great Barrier and Coral Sea) so we had high expectations for Thailand. The diversity of coral life was the real highlight for us – huge gorgonian fans and immense gardens of table coral, various soft corals and the usual tropical fish life. We saw cuttlefish (mating!), several sea turtles and for the first-time ever we went diving with Leopard sharks which was very cool. We missed seeing whale sharks (which we did get to see in the Maldives) but we were thoroughly-impressed with Thailand’s dive offering and the country really takes the protection of marine life seriously which we were very happy to see.

Thinking that our trip could hardly get any better at this point (idyllic tropical island, 4 great days of diving), the real highlight of our Thailand experience was yet to come. Louis drove all the way from Bangkok to meet us (an 8-10 hour drive) in Khao Lak, where he organized the most impressive 2-day program for us. He met us in the evening and took us to a local restaurant for a truly authentic Thai dinner. This place was famous among the locals and had a Western standard of cleanliness, but we were the only non-Thai’s in the restaurant!

Our first full day started with an elephant trek through Khao Lok national park. Louis then took us to a local monastery when he knew we could find wild monkeys living in the nearby forest. We were truly "off the beaten path" and were surprised to find out that only a few tour companies went to the places Louis took us. After lunch at a restaurant on the river, we took a canoe ride where we spotted several birds (including a Kingfisher), frogs, monitor lizards and even a snake in a tree! The canoe trip was a magical experience and involved the two of us with a guide who pointed out what only a local could spot in the forested landscape. The views of the valley were breath-taking and the river trip was so peaceful as we were the only boat on the river. In the late afternoon, we took a private tour on a local fisherman’s boat through the mangrove forest near Thai Muong which we learned is the largest such forest in the world. One of the most interesting aspects of Thailand for us was the extent to which the government goes to protect the country's resources: this includes full protection of the mangrove trees (which create optimal conditions for fish farming and for crabs) and a center for the protection of sea turtles and various other marine life (more on that later).

Our second day was spent (at our request) shopping in Phuket. We would not have trusted ourselves to buy much of anything of value but we knew that Louis would not lead us astray. We hadn’t planned to purchase tailored clothing as we had heard mixed things about clothing tailors in Thailand, but Louis led us to one of the top tailors in the country and certainly one of the best in the world (we typically have our business attire made by a tailor in Hong Kong, so we know what we’re talking about!). Louis bargained for us at the stands in a local mall selling handmade products as he knew exactly the ‘fair price’ for the things we wanted to buy so we were guaranteed not to be taken advantage of. Lastly, Louis took us to a Phuket pearl shop where we found some beautiful pearls which would have cost us significantly more elsewhere for the quality (the pearl dealers provided us with a certificate of authenticity). We ended the evening with a cooking class led by Louis' sister who has a restaurant and catering business (famous among the locals) right across from the beach in Thai Muong. She showed us how to make several dishes including green curry chicken, tom kha gai, and shrimp fried rice. Yummy!!

We cannot speak highly enough about our tour guide Louis, both in terms of his knowledge of local 'must sees’ and in terms of his overall competence as an organizer and planner. Louis is truly a renaissance man - he has connections to people from all walks of life throughout Thailand and he has a vast knowledge of the country’s people, history and culture. Even though we were only with him for a few short days, those days were the most memorable of our trip as they were rich with culture and provided us with very good insight into the mindset and way of life of the Thai people. Louis is an honest man and a walking encyclopedia. Although he is based in Bangkok, Louis has deep familial ties to many regions of the country and we were honored that he took the time and effort to make our first trip to Thailand something we will always remember.

Anyone planning a trip to Thailand is guaranteed to have a similar experience by contacting Louis at juabkwamsuk@yahoo.com, to arrange their trip. As he is also self-employed, there is no middle man so you know you are getting outstanding advice, personal service and prices which are significantly better than those offered by mass-tourist agencies.

We would not trust anyone else to arrange our travel in Thailand and we are already looking forward to returning in a year to explore Bangkok, Chang Mai and the border countries with him. We would be happy to provide any additional information about our experiences with Louis. Please feel free to email us directly as well, if you have any questions, shondakohlhoff@web.de.

Thailand has so much to offer, no matter what kind of vacation or holiday you might have in mind. Its Buddhist culture, year-round warm weather, affordable prices and incredible natural beauty are just the beginning!

Kind regards,

Shonda and Nathan Kohlhoff