This trip was made extraordinary by two absolutely outstanding guides, one in Cambodia (Sokchea) one in Vietnam (Truong). Their knowledge, communication skills, good humour, organisational skills and sheer passion for what they do was incredible. We arranged additional tours with our guides, and being able to depend on them for taking care of every detail, from supporting with transport arrangements, recommending and taking us to great local restaurants and evening shows, sometimes joining us for fun, ensuring that our access to sites of interest was smooth and hassle-free, whilst providing a fascinating and insightful perspective on history, culture and lifestyle. In Vietnam, Truong is an incredible asset to Explore: he went above and beyond his remit every day to ensure that everyone in our group had the best, most enjoyable experience. This was priceless, his energy and enthusiasm, and superb social skills ensured that this was an unforgettable trip of a lifetime. We learned so much, and genuinely shared laughter, food and good company. This Explore trip, due to the local guides, and wonderful company of our small group, totally exceeded our expectations.
Having a small group of 5, meant that we were able to get to know each other along the way too, and shared a lot of fun. We hugely enjoyed our “Happy Team” and hope we’ve made some new friends too.
Hotels were mostly great, some more basic but overall good, clean standards. Some excelled, like Cat Ba Paradise Hotel; only one was quite disappointing and a bit frustrating in their really inefficient check-in processes, Trang Hotel in Bangkok, which wasn’t helpful after long-haul journey. Otherwise, good accommodation and friendly helpful staff along the way.
