Dreamy Family Tour of Southeast Asia’s Coasts and Culture

The recommended hotels were nice. All flights were well coordinated; however, travel time between regions was not well thought out; in some cases, it took 2 days to get from one itinerary destination to another. We were dropped at the wrong hotel in one instance and pre-arranged fast track service was not provided in a major airport. Tour guides and drivers were ok. Many of the tours need to be revamped; some being pointless (planting rice in mud, taking a concrete boat ride through a shallow cave, cycling through rice fields on rickety bikes), others being unhealthy (a salt rice lunch, food tours), or way too far of a drive out of the way (the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City). More guidance should have been offered in selecting the travel months so as to avoid extreme heat and smoke pollution conditions in the first 3 weeks of our 6 week trip.

Excellent trip.

For improvements, there are a couple of items.

The first tour guide in Hanoi did the minimum. He didn’t escort us through some of the exhibits and explain what we were looking at, for example, the "Hanoi Hilton." He also didn’t escort us into the airport on departure. All the other tour guides escorted us through the exhibits and brought us into the airport for check-in.

Flights in-country were middle seat and window. We expressly stated we did not want cheap seats on a 30k trip.

We wanted a cooking program one day. None of the activities met our stated expectations.

We recently completed a 29-day custom-designed tour of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with Zicasso’s travel company. As a couple, we have toured 100 countries on six continents. We always travel by ourselves and not in groups. We often plan and book our itinerary and activities on our own. We have experienced tour operators in the past who just string together “cookie-cutter” activities and call it a custom tour. I commend the travel company for not taking this path.

Our tour was completely tailored to our needs. We went through several iterations of the itinerary to match it to our interests and they were untiring in making adjustments to suit our particular needs. The hotels were all of excellent quality and very well located. The itineraries in each of the locations we visited met our expectations and addressed the interests we had discussed with the representatives of the travel company. All of the guides were good and several were amongst the best we have ever had. The support of the travel company was outstanding throughout our trip, with daily check-ins and immediate reactions when assistance was requested. I would rate the tour as exceptional. I unhesitatingly recommend the travel company.

The contact staff and guides were wonderful. Very helpful and knowledgeable. The travel company disappointed, and I have used Zicasso before, but they did not advise us of the weather in Phuket, where we were going into the monsoon season, and then suggested a private boat tour at a significant cost during the monsoon season. I just feel it should have been mentioned. Then, if I proceeded, it was on me. I have traveled quite a bit and always planned my trips. I don’t want to do it anymore, so I was very disappointed. Also, I picked the hotel in Phuket, rated as a five-star hotel, which it was not. Knowing the level of hotels we were staying at, other suggestions should have been offered.

Our Zicasso travel agent did a wonderful job taking our requests and styling a complex, detailed itinerary. Everything worked perfectly. The guides all communicated with each other and the drivers were always at the expected locations. All accommodations were awesome and well-located. 

Beginning in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we visited Doi Inthanon National Park, the Doi Suthep mountain temple, and had an absolutely awesome time visiting with elephants at the elephant sanctuary, among other things. We even got to play with a two-week-old elephant. All our dining recommendations were awesome and we particularly enjoyed our time with the guides.

Next, we flew to Krabi for unforgettable views and relaxing beach time. Again, the resort was awesome. We even went mountain climbing on Railay Beach. My son got engaged at the New Year's gala at our hotel, which was spectacular; an unbelievable stay. We particularly enjoyed our time with the guide!

Next, we finished in Bangkok, where the highlight was riding in the tuk-tuks and doing a city food tour. Our guide was so awesome and knowledgeable.

Unfortunately, eight of the 10 of us then flew home, while my wife and I continued to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our guide was such a good travel companion and we left Cambodia with a true knowledge of Cambodian life/history/temples. He was very forthcoming about his life growing up under the Khmer Rouge. Although a long day, the temple tour was unbelievable, culminating in Angkor Wat. Our hotel was awesome and blocks from the nightlife on Pub Street. It was such a great stay.

Next, we flew to Saigon. We were met by our guide, who noticed we were hungry and immediately stopped at a local street food vendor for our first foray into bun bo. It was so good. The mix of history, countryside visits, and city tours with our guide was awesome and she even left us with a customized pictorial of our visit. The other excursion that needs mention is the Vespa city and food tour. Our main guide was delightful, giving us a true taste of Saigon culture and food. The drivers were so great.  This tour finished with a surprise visit to a local bar/club, where we had front-row seats to an awesome Latin band for a nightcap. It was truly unforgettable. Also, we cannot forget our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, where our guide did a great job educating and touring us through this unbelievable history.

Then, we flew to Hanoi to another awesome location. Highlights in Hanoi would be visiting the Hoa Lo prison, having dinner in a local family's home, and especially the Minsk backstreet tour. Our tour drivers were so awesome. This excursion really gave us a feel for the city/backstreets, as well as an idea of the frightening life of riding a motorbike through the city and back alleys of Hanoi. It was truly unforgettable. This tour finished with my knees about a foot away from the speeding train at Hanoi train station, another can't-miss site!

Next, we visited Ninh Binh for trekking, biking, and bamboo boating. The scenery was awesome and it was definitely a nice break from the busy city.

The trip finished with a two-night, three-day cruise on Hạ Long Bay. The scenery was unbelievable and the staff were excellent; so attentive and informative.

This trip truly was spectacular and we are so happy that Zicasso connected us with our agent to make all of this happen. We couldn't be happier with the entire trip!

Well done. We ended the trip wanting more, but were too tired to go on. The tour was designed with our interests in mind. The guides were all great, especially one of them. Our accommodations were beyond our expectations. Almost everything went as planned, but such is travel. Weather prevented a part of our time in Hạ Long Bay, but a substitute activity was found to make up for it. We would definitely use this Zicasso travel company again.