Private Tour : Ayutthaya Sightseeing by Coach return by Cruise

Same quality for 14 years! First takes care of the whole family individually, the kids are entertained and the parents entertained. We have heard a lot of news again, First has a great knowledge of the history of Thailand. All presented with a lot of wit and never boring. Everything works wonderfully, the pick-up and transport home are great organized. Our special requests would also be taken into account. We received valuable tips for further excursions that we could organize privately. Our children are 19, 10 and 6 years old and there was something for everyone.

The visit to Ayutthaya was great. Seeing the old capital and the ruins was unique and interesting. Our guide, Mr. First, was informative and provided good history and excellent English. I only give this 4 stars because the scheduled cruise down the Chao Phraya river for the se ind half if the tour was cancelled due to lack of bookings, so we only did a small boat ride around the island of Ayutthaya instead. The boat ride was something, and sort of okay, but not exactly what we expected. With the recent earthquake that was experienced in Thailand, and some border issues with Cambodia and some China tensions between governments, many tourists have cancelled their visits to Thailand recently. Especially the Chinese tourists. The place is pretty empty. The cruise holds 250 passengers, but I heard only 24 were booked for our day. So they have stopped running the cruise down the main river. Still, Ayutthaya is great to see, but maybe better to pair it with a visit to riding the elephants instead, versus hoping for the cruise in the Chao Phraya river. Overall it was still a great day.

Once more we had to learn that a good guide makes the difference. With a great local guide we learned so much, which made the experience in the ruins of Ayuthaya even more exclusive. When visiting Bangkok, a trip to Ayuthaya is a must. The trip back via the ship was a great experience although we were in the beinning a little bit scared of the size of the boat and the large number of passengers. But there were so many possibilities to enjoy the trip after a good lunch.

This tour was worth the extra money. It was truly private with only the two of us on the tour. Getting picked up and dropped off at your hotel was the best. When you're done with this tour, you're tired an figuring out how to get home can't be fun. Our guide, First, was amazing. He was so knowledgable of the sights we saw and made each sight so interesting. One of the best things he did was left us alone after giving some background. It was nice to wander where we wanted and at our own pace without a guide saying move along like the bigger tours. The cruise ship ride back was very relaxing and the chef who prepared the buffet was very talented and made fantastic dishes with many being out of the ordinary. I liked it because I could try somethings I'd never had before. Have you ever had a banana flower? I can say I have. I'll always look for these private tours, knowing how wonderful they can be.

Our guide, First, was punctual, knowledgeable and funny. We were picked up at the hotel and the guide explained what the tour will entail. We were concerned about the timing of the return because we had to catch an evening flight out of Bangkok. The guide immediately changed the return route where the van would take us directly to the airport instead of taking us back to the hotel - which alleviated our concerns about the notorious Bangkok traffic. The mini van ride in both directions was smooth, and so was the cruise. We visited the Summer Palace, the ancient temples of Ayutthaya and the Chao Sam Phraya Museum, each one a highlight in its own right. The guide, an Ayutthaya native, gave us not only the historic background but also sprinkled the explanations with his personal experiences and commentary which made the visit so much more relatable for all of us. I highly recommend this tour.