Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

We just returned from an amazing 12 days in the far east, visiting both Thailand and Vietnam and including 5 cities total (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon). From the moment we landed to the moment we departed our trip was flawless. The travel planner, Dan, and his team (shout out to Khun Ti!) were fantastic to work with before we left. They listened to and responded to all of our concerns and suggestions and came up with an itinerary that was right on spot. We greatly appreciated their suggestion to travel at the end of February as we avoided holidays, poor weather and the hazy season. The hotels we stayed in were truly some of the most luxurious hotels we have ever enjoyed and the service was top-notch. All of the hotels included breakfast and each one was beyond delicious, plentiful and authentic. The food everywhere was terrific, with a bit more spice in Thailand than Vietnam. We especially enjoyed “pho” for breakfast!

All of our local hosts were fluent in English, extremely knowledgeable and overly concerned with making sure we had everything we needed. It was so helpful to have them as we navigated each city, and they showed us all the local favorites, from the markets to stores to food and to the delicious egg and salt coffee that Vietnam is known for.

The highlight of our trip was a visit to the elephant rescue in Chiang Mai. Wow! The project was so well managed and allowed us to spend five hours with the four elephants that have been rescued, including a 6-year-old baby boy elephant. It was a surreal feeling to walk alongside an elephant while feeding them bananas out of our bag and ultimately joining them in a swim in their watering hole. Must do!

Having our trip planned by such a competent and on-the-ground team made for a perfect vacation. We felt safe and supported the entire time and cannot wait to travel back to this magical place again. The people, culture, food and vibe were so enjoyable, kind, and lovely! Thank you to Dan and his fantastic team!

Just back from our 3rd trip booked through one of Wendy’s fabulous travel arrangers. In this case we worked with Daniel Fraser’s office for a 3 ½-week itinerary that started and ended in Singapore with Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, Saigon, Hue, Hoi An, and Hanoi in between.

Dan and the team did a great job attending to all of the details, especially the VIP arrival treatment in the many airports we traversed. The diversity of the trip was amazing, starting with a festive New Year’s Eve party at 137 Pillars in Chiang Mai. A great rock band interspersed with traditional Thai dances performed amazingly well. Other events included fabulous street-food adventures in several of the cities, ringside seat in Bangkok for Muay Thai boxing, a cruise on the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to the Pak Ou caves (with a stop at a whisky distillery whose bottles contained snakes and scorpions—a bit too much for my taste), sunrise at Angkor Wat, incredible acrobats at the Phare circus, thrilling rides in several cities on cyclos, tuk-tuks, and scooters, and various museums and places that are etched in memories of those of us that grew up in the Viet Nam war era. Lots of lessons to be learned from that time.

But perhaps the most interesting part of our visit involved a dinner and musical performance at the Ben Xuan Garden House. When we saw this on the agenda, we thought OK, that could be a nice evening. Well, the host, Camille Huyen, is 6 generations removed from the emperor and is an incredible artist. She designed the home using bricks from the rubble of the destroyed Imperial Palace area, has her paintings on display throughout the home and provided vocals alongside some fabulously talented musicians whom she personally selected and developed from the local university. After the performance we were treated to an amazing dinner and wonderful conversation with Camille and Ngo Truong Dinh, her husband and a former banker during their time in Switzerland. This evening was one of the more remarkable events of many years of travel around the world. If you make the trip to Viet Nam, this is a must-do!

This was the second time we used Dan’s office. They helped us plan the trip of a lifetime to Vietnam and Cambodia. We loved all the hotels and the excursions. The guides were fabulous. I would go with anything they recommend. They really got what our family wanted to do and where we wanted to stay. We did a wide range of activities, including motorcycle riding through Hanoi and visiting a family farm in Hoi An. Siem Reap was magical! Dan and his team were always available and responded to all my emails immediately and professionally. We love them!

Jeff Gold | January 17, 2024

Dan’s team was fantastic and we had a wonderful trip in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. I can’t recommend them more highly. Dan is the best!

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