Traveling with Mom, Private Tours in Hua Hin and Bangkok for Seniors

This time I took my mother to travel to two places in Thailand. I participated in Zebra Travel’s high-end customized private group. The entire journey was privately guided by private car without any group members. The transportation and itinerary can be changed according to customer needs. The butler’s mobile WeChat service is available 24 hours a day, and Thailand ground transportation will accompany you throughout the journey. , I felt the thoughtfulness and thoughtfulness of high-end customization. Because it took 4 hours to drive from Bangkok to Hua Hin in an SUV, my mother suffered from motion sickness. Later, she changed to take an old-fashioned Thai train for the return trip. From Hua Hin to Bangkok, the tour guide Wen Qiang Xiao Brother bought the train tickets for the whole journey and accompanied us back to Bangkok. The service was first-class. In the end, we gave a tip of 1,000 baht as a thank you. The little tour guide said that he had never received such a big tip in his life, which was very touching. We think the tour guides in Thailand are so nice and kind. It's simple, not comparable in China.

From home to Bangkok, you can choose your own flight and choose a very comfortable time. If you join a tour group, it is usually a chartered red-eye flight. This is why we didn’t see a tour group at Bangkok Airport. The tour guide who picked us up said that only individual tourists arrived during this time period, and no tour groups arrived. Tour groups all arrived at midnight. (In addition, it is more convenient to apply for a Thai visa in China. You don’t have to queue up to apply for a visa on arrival at the airport. This can remind everyone.) So if you don’t want to suffer, you can choose to travel independently or with a private tour. Our expenses were not particularly expensive. We stayed in international 5-star hotels. The cars used for pick-up were very good. The director served us throughout the entire trip and also gave us a meal of the famous Jianxing curry crab. If we had ordered that meal ourselves, it would have cost US$50. The cost for the two of us was US$1,000 per person for 5 nights. I think it was very cost-effective, with the same level of flight, car, tour guide, and accommodation, it was more cost-effective than traveling on your own. My mother was also very satisfied. When we arrived in Thailand, everything was arranged by someone, and the mobile phone manager was there to take care of us 24 hours a day. We went in the off-season, so the expenses were relatively cost-effective. If we went in January during the peak season, the price would definitely be higher, so you can decide for yourself.


Central Ambassador Shopping Mall




I have been to Thailand too many times, but when I take my mother there, I always go with a group because I feel that independent travel is too tiring. I go with friends all on my own, but they are all in other cities, so I haven’t been to Bangkok in decades. The last time I went, I was with my grandparents and my mother. I was still a little girl, so I really can’t say that I left much impression on Bangkok. I just saw various golden temples and worshiped Buddha. This time I visited Bangkok by myself, and I felt that Bangkok is very fashionable, and the decoration of the shopping malls, especially the Grand Lady Central Ambassador Mall, is more beautiful and classy than any high-end department store in Shanghai, and the people shopping inside are 100%... She must be a local second-generation rich girl in Bangkok. There are no tourists or ordinary people in the shopping mall. Like in the movie, I am probably the most casually dressed one there. The other rich second-generation girls are all dressed up, with ultra-thin and high heels. Top brand name all over. I asked our little tour guide Wen Qiang. Ordinary Thais have never been to this lady’s department store, and have hardly heard of it. This shows that there are huge class differences in Bangkok. The lives of especially wealthy people have never been seen by ordinary people. Seen it with my own eyes, never heard of it, that's it.
  


There are a lot of foreigners in Bangkok. We stayed at the Atas Hotel on the day we arrived. There are many good hotels in that area, and the Central Ambassador Mall is also within walking distance. I went for a 2-hour walk in the evening and wandered around. Chinese people (including Koreans) ) About 1 out of 20, 3 are Thai, and all the others are Westerners. Thailand is really the back garden of Westerners. The overpasses and light rails in Bangkok are very cute. The overpasses are very old, very similar to those in Jakarta. The same is true for Taipei. It is the same throughout Southeast Asia. The combination of old and new gives a different and exotic feel. The antennas are densely covered and have a unique flavor. There are many young people at the light rail station, which is a daily commuter. The decoration is also very beautiful, which is not comparable to that in Shanghai. If you book the Aitas Hotel by yourself, the price is only 370 in the off-season. The price-performance ratio can be said to be unbeatable. There are no Chinese guests and only a few Japanese. It is very clean. The hotel has international 5-star facilities and complete facilities. There is also an outdoor swimming pool. The dishes in the restaurant are delicious. Very good, dinner is only 100 per person, very affordable. My mother liked this hotel very much and thought it was clean. Later, when she returned to Bangkok, she stayed at the Pullman Hotel. Although it was a big brand and more expensive, there were so many Chinese people that it was too noisy and the experience was not as good as this one. If you are going to Bangkok for a free trip, I highly recommend this cheap international five-star hotel.
  



Light Rail Station




Thailand The restaurant’s main recommendation is Jianxing Curry Crab and NARA. I have tried both this time. There are no minefields. They are really delicious. You can eat them with confidence because they are chain stores and can be found in many shopping malls. You should be able to eat them. Other times, my mother trusted the catering in five-star hotels, and we didn’t eat at food stalls or roadside stalls. The chicken rice in Bangkok is far inferior to that in Chiang Mai, so you don’t have to queue up to try it at Internet celebrity stores. The chicken in Bangkok doesn’t have free-range chicken, so chicken is not acceptable.
  

Lianxing Curry Crab


NARA



NARA King Power Duty Free Shop Chain store


Specialized car and guided tour to Galeries Lafayette


After staying in Bangkok for one night, we drove to Hua Hin, a seaside town more than 400 kilometers away. There are not many Chinese people going to Hua Hin at present, so it is very clean. There are more people going to Pattaya, and it is relatively close, only more than 100 kilometers away, but it is very noisy and the nightlife is very developed. If you are just on vacation and don’t want to go to places like bars, Hua Hin is a better choice. There are really few people, and the proportion of foreigners is higher than in Bangkok. Basically, the whole city is Westerners. You can visit the Khao Wong Palace that you will pass along the way. There are little monkeys on the mountain, which is wild. Other man-made attractions are very small and boring, so there is no need to go. It is not worth driving to those attractions. On the way back to the city, you will pass by a floating market. We decided to take the train instead, so we gave up. It should be very interesting and you can consider visiting it. The Hilton Resort Hotel where we stayed is the international five-star hotel with the best scenery there. The hotel has a private beach. Since it is the off-season, the occupancy rate is not high, so it is very comfortable to play and you can enjoy 100% cleanliness.

My mother especially likes Hua Hin. It is really comfortable to lie on the balcony and watch the sea view. You can also watch the sea view while lying on the bed. The hotel's beach restaurant is amazing, with unparalleled scenery and delicious dishes, especially Western food. I think the mango sticky rice is the best in Thailand, and NARA's is far behind. The food in the bar and restaurant is not that good, but there are performances, it is lively and has a unique flavor. For people like my mother who don't go to Hengshan Road Bar Street for dinner in Shanghai at night, this is a rare and fresh experience. In Thailand, all international five-star hotels can provide unlimited bottled drinking water. Remember to call the front desk and ask the housekeeping department to deliver it. You don't need to buy drinking water outside. You can't open the tap water in Thailand. If you want to bring plastic bottled water, it's sold out. A large bottle of Evian is only 110 baht.

The hotel's glass drinking water bottles cannot be taken out. The tip for cleaning the house has not changed for decades, and it is still 20 baht. The class system in this country is too solid and stable, and the hierarchy is strict. Generally, a full-time teacher in Thailand earns 15,000 baht (3,000 yuan) a month. You can compare it. An ordinary person spends about 20 baht for a meal. There are many Internet-famous seafood restaurants in Hua Hin, which have spent a lot of money on advertising on Chinese online media. We went to have a look, and the environment was relatively poor, and the food was not cheap. Of course, the cooking level was not comparable to that of international five-star hotels. So I suggest that there is no need to waste money. Lunch in a five-star hotel costs 50 yuan per person, and dinner costs 100 yuan per person. There is no need to eat outside the hotel.
  

Hotel seaside restaurant





Hotel Seaside Restaurant




The rosemary ginger roast chicken in the restaurant is amazing


Mom’s favorite pineapple rice


Hotel bar restaurant dinner



Hilton Hotel

We stayed in Hua Hin for 2 nights. My mother thought we could stay longer because Hua Hin is really great. If we arrange our own itinerary, we can stay for 3-4 nights to experience more seaside customs. Compared with Laguna Beach in California, the sea breeze here is not cold, and the sea water is also not harmful to the body. I practiced on the balcony for 2 hours, and my body felt that it was not invaded by the cold air at all. If it were a beach in North America, I would definitely not be able to blow the sea breeze for a long time. The cold air entering the body would be extremely harmful to the vitality. So if you want to play in the sea, it is best to go to Southeast Asia.

Then we caught the early train early in the morning, from the old Hua Hin Railway Station, and took the old train for 4 and a half hours to Bangkok. This is an experience. I have never taken this kind of train in the past. Thailand currently does not have a high-speed rail. It depends entirely on this kind of old train. The passengers are all locals, and there are many Thai women wearing headscarves. The tour guide said they are from the south. They are all Muslims, unlike people in other parts of Thailand who believe in Buddhism. After we got off the train, a special car came to the station to pick us up, and then we were sent to eat curry crab. After eating, we were taken to worship the Four-Faced Buddha, and then we went to visit Siam Square. My mother felt like taking a nap, so she sent us back to the Pullman Hotel. The entire itinerary was completely based on customer needs. Customers can do whatever they want. It was very humane and leisurely.

During the day when we went to Hua Hin, we also worshipped the Emerald Buddha and visited the Grand Palace. Pullman Hotel is right next to the King Power Duty Free Shop, so it is normal for it to be full, but there are no tour groups staying, and they are all free travelers. For those of us who don’t like shopping, there is actually no need to stay here to join in the fun. However, the hotel’s seafood buffet dinner is US$30 per person, which is invincible in value for money. There are very punctual Hong Kong-style roast suckling pigs, 3 kinds of oysters are all French, and there are many seafood, New Zealand lamb chops, American and Australian beef, and various sashimi sushi. In Shanghai, such a buffet is impossible to get without 380, so it is recommended. If you don't speak English, this hotel has several waiters who can speak Chinese, so communication is relatively convenient. In the other two hotels we stayed in, no one could speak Chinese at all, so we had to communicate in English throughout the process. Thai people are not good at English, but as long as it is written content, they can speak very standard English without any obstacles.


Old-fashioned train



Wen Qiang, a young Thai tour guide who accompanied us on the train , 25 years old this year


Little fish foot massage downstairs in the hotel


The best in Thailand Eating mango sticky rice


Lunch at the hotel


My mother applied the collagen mask from our store on the hotel balcony watching the sea view


Hua Hin Railway Station







Monkeys at Khao Wang Palace


Breakfast at Pullman Hotel


Dinner Buffet at Pullman



Pullman’s Buffet Dinner



Thailand is really a consumer paradise, and people are very easy to get along with. It’s not enough to visit once a year. I like Thailand far more than Japan. Maybe this is why so many Westerners stay in Thailand for a long time. If I don’t need to work, I would like to stay in Bangkok all the time. I also like the climate. It is not particularly hot or humid. Just right, your skin will be extra supple and supple all day long. I hope this article will be helpful for you to visit Thailand.
  

Pullman Hotel Outdoor Garden


King Power Duty Free Shop


King Power Duty Free Shop Mickey Mouse’s 90th Birthday Celebration Activities


Trying on TOM FORD’s new sunglasses at King Power Duty Free Shop


Mom resting by Pullman’s sky pool




Pullman Lobby