When you travel to Thailand for your Holiday or Business. it’s not always easy to find the friendly places, the hot spots to go to or your business contacts and suppliers.
We would like to share our knowledge and experience to make your holiday or business planning easier, secure and cost-effective. Whatever you are looking for Holiday or Business. We will accompany, navigate, translate and keep your holiday or business trouble-free.
Qualified & Experienced English Speaking Thai Tour Guide’s Team:
Thai Tour Guide : Pat
Thai Tour Guide : Tur
Thai Tour Guide : Pu
Thai Tour Guide : Thim
Thai Tour Guide : Mee
Thai Tour Guide : George
Barry & Katherine Chow
We toured Bangkok for two days and one evening with Thai Tour Guide. Although we did not have a chance to meet Chob Panma, we did tour with one of Chob's guides, and our experience with George was amazing. George speaks excellent English, has a cheerful personality, is knowledgeable and well organized, and is always eager to please. His professionalism and his training place him among the top tour guides we have used, and we speak from a touring experience that is quite extensive, counting well over three dozen private guides whom we have used over the years.
Aside from George's professionalism, we also give a lot of credit to Chob's business philosophy, which adds immeasurably to real touring enjoyment. There are two business models that tour operators follow. The canned tour operators offer cheap tour pricing, but can do so only by cutting corners (usually on food), packing as many tourists as possible into large buses, and earning kickbacks from the hardsell tourist-trap retailers that they funnel their clients through. The other business model is the one Chob follows: offer intimacy and privacy, don't include food in the tour price (thus freeing the client to spend on whatever level of food quality they wish), and avoid tourist-trap hucksters completely. Chob's business model means that he must charge more for his tours, but for sophisticated travellers, this is the only way to go. Chob wins hands down.
In our case, George took just the two of us on a local tour of Bangkok the first day. We used many of the modes of transportation that local Thais use including street taxis, water buses and walking. However, this is far and away the most effective way to see Bangkok (which is in a permanent state of traffic gridlock). While other tourists were stuck in traffic on their antiseptic buses, we were strolling through streets packed with hawkers, food stalls, and real Thais getting on with their everyday lives. And while the canned tours were funnelling their tourists through fake souvenir markets, George took us through three authentic wholesale markets where we were not accosted even once because these sellers were only interested in selling to other businesses in wholesale quantities.
On the second day, the two of us, accompanied by just George and our driver, were chaffeured an hour out of Bangkok and visited (among other things) a seafood market, a train market, a canal tour, a local Thai house and a palm-sugar maker. We stopped where and when we wanted, didn't have to wait for laggards, and were able to ask George not only general tourist questions, but also questions about his own life and the way typical Thais live, work and think. Such customization and intimacy is simply impossible on mass tours.
We also booked a final evening with George for a walking food tour that was indescribably delicious. However, it is recommended only for foodies and highly adventurous sorts because you will be eating at sidewalk vendors and some really greasy spoons. If you don't like real Thai food or can't stand dirt and noise and traffic, best avoid this tour and stick with a more traditional restaurant. We loved it and felt that we learned so much about Thai culture and way of life.
It should be obvious by now that Chob offers a quality immersive experience that mass tour operators just cannot match. However, it clearly costs more to devote a driver and guide to just two people instead of spreading this cost over forty, so you have to be prepared to pay for what you get. Chob's tours are not for everyone, but if you can afford the sophistication, personalization and intimacy that he is offering, then he comes with our highest recommendation.
Things started off well when we got an immediate response to my initial email enquiry and Chob’s subsequent accurate and detailed itineraries were just what we wanted. We booked a full day tour of major palaces and temples plus a private canal boat trip, and an evening food tour
Our guide, Miss Pat, was delightful; prompt, courteous, knowledgeable and very personable. She was an ideal guide. The dinner tour, especially, was fantastic, the street food was amazing and we visited parts of the city we could never have reached alone; we ate as well as, if not better, than we had the previous night at Nahm Restaurant, for less than 1/20th of the cost, and had a better overall eating experience as well
We cannot praise Chob and his team highly enough and will definitely use him again when next visiting Bangkok. We could not have had a better experience and recommend Chob and his guides wholeheartedly
Janet Kindstorm : USA
I truly appreciated your professional, informative and enjoyable tour in Thailand. I wish we had had more time in your beautiful country but you did give us a day we will never forget.
Although my group of six senior citizens was not always the easiest to deal with, I feel you went above and beyond our expectations and provided us with special amenities we did not experience on any of our other tours in Asia.
The little brass elephants are a special treasure that I have not been able to shore with my grandchildren and the flowers you provided were a lovely touch. The iced water bottles and the cooling face towels were such a considerate and welcome addition to tour day and I especially loved tasting some fruits I had never seen in our markets at home. You gave us unique fruit juice drinks and you handled all the small expenses in such a professional way that the tour flowed smoothly and we were able to see as much as our time allowed. I truly enjoyed the Thai phrases and the explanation of the Spirit Houses and other aspects of your unique culture.
I would highly recommend you to anyone wishing to have a wonderful private tour in Thailand. You were the most professional and considerate tour guide we had in all of the Asian Countries we visited and the fact that you speak English Beautifully helped us to understand everything you taught us. Everyone was impressed by you. Your love of your country was evident by how you conducted our tour.
Thank you so very much for such a memorable experience. I also want to thank you for making it possible for me to purchase my Thai ruby ring. It is the July Birthstone. I have not taken it off since returning home – a considerable expense, but something beautiful to remind me of my visit to Thailand
On Feb. 18, my wife and I returned from a wonderful tour of Thailand and Cambodia with smarTours - about which I'll say more later in a separate post. We began our trip in Bangkok - and to make sure we could maximize the three days we had there - we decided to engage a private tour guide in Bangkok and rejoin the smarTours group just as they were leaving Bangkok for 10+ days in the north of Thailand.
After considerable research on TripAdvisor - and no small amount of anxiety - we decided to engage Chob Panma at Thaitourguide.com. From our very first e-mail to Chob we found him to be responsive, knowledgeable and interested in doing what we wanted to do. In those early e-mails he gave us excellent advice about the most important sites to visit during the few days we had there.
Once we arrived in Bangkok our early impressions of Chob and his team proved quite accurate. Chob himself took us shopping one afternoon and his very able team members, George and Tim-Tim showed us the important sites in and around Bangkok over the next two days. We found all of them to be punctual, knowledgeable and flexible in responding to all of our travel needs and priorities.
Their English is very good. In fact, when we left Bangkok, we concluded that we had made three new friends and were very appreciative of their insights into the important sites around Bangkok and Thai culture in general.
They gave us a very positive impression of Thailand from the outset of our tour, and we would have no hesitation in recommending Chob and his team.
As there were so many attractions in Bangkok to cover in a short amount of time, we needed a professional to guide us. We found Chob Panma through http://www.tripadvisor.com and booked him due to previous great reviews. We sent Chob an email explaining of what we would like to see and do and within 24-hours Chob had put together a fantastic suggested itinerary for us.
We changed a couple of the suggestions but Chob was very flexible and accommodating. From the first email, to our my first meeting, while on the tours and to the end of our trip, Chob was prompted, professional, accommodating, polite and friendly.
Our package was a 5 days tour covering all the main attractions, shopping and flavours of Bangkok. Chob suggested us all the right shopping and markets locations, exquisite traditional Thai restaurants, upbeat nightlife and a fabulous tailor.
The tours are inclusive of air-con transportation, entry fees, drinks and our favourite cold iced towels (Chob calls it Siberian towels).
He’s fees are extremely reasonable and it will be the best money you’ll ever spent.
My husband and I really enjoyed our time with Chob, not only as a guide, but as a person in general. Chob is incredibly friendly, has a lot of passion for what he does with exceptional knowledgeable about his culture and many other cultures.
Lynne & Tony Hardwick : USA lhardwick@knology.net Seabourn Cruise Sawasdee Ka… My husband, Tony, and I arrived in Bangkok after a 24 day cruise with Seabourn to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We could not have been more spoiled by the great service on board this magnificent cruise line until we arrived in Bangkok to see Chob Panma’s smiling face waiting for us at the dock at the Klong Toey Port. We joined Chob with new cruise friends who were originally from Russia and planned our four days in Bangkok. Our friends had researched a guide and Chob was immediately responsive…everything was clear, simple, no extra charges to meet us at the port. We sent a “wish” list and he met us with a beautiful ring of flowers for each of us and a complete itinerary and a tiny set of precious brass elephants in the red case to wish us happiness and luck. Everything including dress codes were completely spelled out for us. His van was roomy, cool and very comfortable. His driver was delightful and took every care with our safety. We hit the road running and visited The Royal Grand Palace and The Royal Temple. We saw the Royal Temple (Wat Phra Kaew), The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, the Golden Chedi, Pantheon of the Chakri’s Kings and a miniature replica of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Coronation Throne Hall and the Royal Reception Hall. Our hearts and mouths were open with joy and the opportunity to see such beauty, culture and tradition. After a fabulous lunch on the river…we asked Chob to order for all of us…what a feast…delicious…we took a Canal Tour in a long tail boat along the Chao Phraya River and the smaller canals (Klongs) enjoying the temples and homes on these canals. He delivered us to our hotel by boat. The next day, Chob customized the day for us again. Our friends wanted to shop and go to a Thai tailor…we did too. Chob took us to a very reputable tailor and all four of us spent the morning picking our fabrics and working with these talented professionals. We actually went back at 5 that evening to have our first fitting. All pieces were exquisite and arrived safely at our door step.
We went directly to Jim Thompson’s home for a tour and an elegant luncheon…again Chob accommodated our request that he select our dishes…unbelievably delicious. This charming man is so knowledgeable, proud and passionate about his country’s history, customs and current life…his English is impeccable and paired with a mega watt smile, charming manners, an incredible sense of humor and intriguing stories we were constantly and graciously entertained. It was SO hot and humid and he made sure we had lots of ice cold water and “frozen” washcloths to refresh up when we came back to the van. We then were taking to the MKB Shopping Center to shop for bargains…floor after floor…mind boggling. We were once again safely delivered back to our hotels and looked forward to our next day’s adventure. As always, he arrived right on time the next day. We traveled to see the King’s Summer Palace and Ayutthaya…I’ve traveled all my life, but this incredible site, (built in the 1600’s) is out of this world. Again, this remarkable man had all the stories to share with us including a wonderful book showing the ruins as they are today and as they were before the jungle swallowed them. There was also an incredible temple on site that is still in use. The peoples’ market leading to Ayutthaya was the most fascinating I have ever seen…two foot high pyramid type displays of fish skeletons, fried fish skins, eels swimming in containers, vats of oil with a rice type pancake being fried then topped with peanuts and sugar…truly to die for and Chob picked out a few of these delicacies for us to try…no we didn’t get sick…we trusted him to take very good care of us. He even helped me achieve my “bucket list” and ride an elephant. My husband and I will return to Thailand and Chob someday soon…Thailand was our very favorite place on this magical adventure of ours and most of the credit goes to Chob Panma. The smallest detail seemed to be effortless for him to provide for our enjoyment. He prepared a folder for all of us with our itineraries along with useful information about restaurants, where to go for tea, shows to see, warnings about possible scams, massage and spa opportunities and shopping areas. This man is a delight and a keeper. We will keep him in our hearts forever and hope he will come and visit/stay in our home the next time he travels to the United States. We only scratched the surface of this incredible country and it’s kind, compassionate and wonderful people. I am a professional painter/artist and part owner of Lowcountry Artists, Ltd., in Charleston, SC. My head and heart are so full of ideas to paint, that it will last me a lifetime. Khob Khun Ka…
Seabourn Cruise We spent over a month traveling through Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam & Thailand. Went on a number of tours, sometimes private, other with groups. Some guides were good some worse, but none came close to Chob. He is professional, courteous, very knowledgeable.
From the moment he picked us up at the pier at 8:30 am 3 days were filled with his “magic” touch and packed with so much of wonderful discovery of Bangkok and its surroundings, shopping, dining, etc… enough for a week. His knowledge of history, past and recent is incredible, in perfect English mixed with good sense of humor.
And his driver was always ready with cold towels and bottles of water so that the hot weather wouldn’t interfere with our sightseeing.
Belinda Sartori : England belinda.sartori@btinternet.com Thank you for arranging two fantastic days for us in Bangkok. We were worried that our two children aged 6 and 9 might find the tours tiring or boring but your guide made sure we had a great time organised it really well and made it interesting for all of us. The trip to the train market and floating market and the tour of the klongs were real highlights of our trip and we all really loved it. Would definately recommend you to our friends. It was all very professionally organised. Thank you
We would like to thank you for the three wonderful days we spent with you in Bangkok (March 2010). The Itinerary you put together was great and the attention to detail and information you gave us on each of the places we visited made them much more interesting.
We really enjoyed visiting Ayutthaya and seeing some of the old temples, especially Wat Phra Mahathat where we saw the row of headless buddha's and the head buried in the roots of a tree.
We especially enjoyed the Elephant ride, and the boat ride back to Bangkok, seeing the homes built on or near the river and the boat venders on the river gave us a good idea of the local life in the city.
We can highly recommend you to anyone visiting Bangkok. Thanks again
I would like to thank you for all of the planning and work you did to make our tour of Bangkok such a huge success. We were impressed with your professionalism and your extensive knowledge of the history of the city and the culture. We were able to visit all of the sites we had identified prior to our trip as well as many more which you arranged for us to see. We enjoyed visiting all of the temples and the RoyalPalace and grounds. The boat ride on the canal was very interesting and informative. We enjoyed the night life as well. We thoroughly enjoyed the two days we spent with you touring the city. Bangkok was one of the high points of our trip. You also have a wonderful sense of humor. Your driver and the air conditioned van was also a huge plus. You epitomize a professional tour guide and we give you the highest recommendation to others. If we return to Bangkok we will definitely want you as our guide again.
Ellen Levine : Atlanta, GA - USA
relevine@bellsouth.net
My husband and I and two friends were fortunate to have Chob recommended to us as a private guide for our 2 day visit to Bangkok. We contacted Chob by email, and asked for suggestions for a full 2 day itinerary.
To our delight, we got an immediate response from him. Chob was on tour, but his automatic email response assured us that he would be in touch with us immediately upon his return.
In a day or two, we began our correspondence with Chob. We outlined our ideas, and he formulated a tour built upon our desires, as well as adding his own suggestion.
As we investigated the city further, we added and subtracted from the original tour. Chob was always accommodating, and tried to please us in every way possible.
When we arrived in Bangkok, Chob picked us up at our hotel on time, with an immaculate air-conditioned vehicle and a big smile! His command of English was excellent, and as we toured, he helped us understand the culture of his country, as well as its. History In addition
He provided written material with recommendations for restaurants and places to visit on our own. We were very appreciative of his printed warnings of scams, tourist traps etc. that we needed to be aware of in Bangkok.
We were very pleased to have had Chob as our Bangkok guide!
Mark & Susie Allen: Leadville - Colorado -USA nipperpom@yahoo.com My wife and I were on our 25th wedding anniversary and having never been to Thailand before, we wanted to do it right and so after a great deal of research we chose Chob as our guide. We had 3 days with Chob in Bangkok. Two at the start of our trip and one at the end. Each day was so different and wonderful.
Our first day was to the British War cemetary, Bridge over the River Kwai, and Hell Fire Pass which was incredible. This was an amazing introduction to Thailand its people and some of its diverse history. Chob speaks great English and is a joy to be around.
Our second day was to the Grand Palace Wat Pho and Wat Arun. This was an amazing day, these places are so big and you could truly visit them for a week and not see everything. When walking around these great temples it became very clear to me how important it was to have a guide. You could easily do the Grand Palace and Wat Po on your own but unless you have a great knowledge of the history and culture of Thailand you wont have any idea what you are looking at, and that’s where Chob’s expertise comes in so valuable.
Our last day was our favorite because we saw the real Thailand. Chob took us to a local Thai market which was incredible we had been to many different markets in Bangkok but this was different. We were the only foreigners there not another white face to be seen. People were staring at us, not in a bad way it was so interesting smiling and interacting with the different market workers and shoppers.
We then went of to the Ancient City which is a wonderful park with Temples and structures of famous places scattered throughout Thailand only in miniature form. When I say miniature these structures are still massive. Lovely place to visit. Then off to a local’s restaurant on a pier again no tourists anywhere which for us made it so very special. After lunch we went to the Erawan Shrine, amazing structure that words can't describe. What a great day away from tourists and seeing so many wonderful things.
Thank you Chob for your kindness and teaching us so much about your great country.
I will briefly add (this is Susie) that I also wanted to comment on Chob's command of the English language and also his knowledge of Thai history/culture, but I realized that is not exceptional in a tour guide; I recognized what sets Chob apart was his understanding of Western culture and thinking. I would find he understood my questions without my struggling to put my point across, he crossed cultural barriers and intuitively and quickly understood Mark and me as a couple and consequently delivered us to destinations and offered commentary that perfectly suited our interests and personalities, I am confident this ability was not uniquely reserved for us, but would be used again to accurately "read" his future clients. All of this handed to us in a package laced liberally with a wonderful sense of humor and playfulness. The joy Chob experiences in his occupation is unmistakable and he ends up sharing it with those for whom he works! Hats off!
We spent a very enjoyable and informative day with Chob. He was so helpful before our arrival in planning what we wanted to see, and making the most of our day with him.
I can't express enough how much better it is to explore Bangkok with a knowledgeable insider rather than on an impersonal group tour! Chob knows everything about Bangkok, and he also very fun to hang out with!
If you are considering booking Chob, don't even think twice. Just do it, and you will not regret it!
Paul & Ingeri + Michael : Belgium + Holland No matter how many guidebooks you read in advance, nothing compares to a private tour with a local guide! If they are good they show you the ‘must see’ things within a day.
Thanks to you we not only got to see all what we had to see, we also learned about Thai culture and everyday life. It was a great privilege to have you as our guide Chob, and the feeling what will always remain is the fact you made us feel like we were the first people you showed around. And that, sets a great guide apart from a good guide. Should anyone ask us to recommend a Bangkok tour guide in the near future, we will definitely tell them that Chob Panma is the man to see.
Khob Khun Ka! I believe that is what you taught is, Chob, at the beginning of our one day trip. So thank you very much for an enjoying, professional and pleasant experience.
We were a group of 11 including 5 young kids and still, with your help and guidance, had the time to do anything we planned on that day. Pickup time was accurate, Van was clean, Sites were interesting and explanations, when needed, were informative and obviously, you know your job well J
Thanks again for a warm welcome to Thailand and we are very happy that picked you to be our tour guide for this trip.
Kathy Engel & Pam Sellix : USA kengel@biecint.com Thank you so very much for your generous, patient and sincere assistance to us during our stay in Bangkok last week. You are truly good at what you do. While I haven’t done it yet, please be assured that I will go to the website blog and post a photo and my comments. I know that our spouses will be in good hands with you as their guide around Bangkok next October.
Khun Noi picked Pam and I up at the hotel right on schedule Saturday morning. She was delightful and I will definitely include her shop with our spouses for either a group shopping trip or as a recommendation, which ever works out best. This was the same shop I had visited last year. I had brought to Thailand an emerald that my boss had purchased for me in India over a year ago. I was hoping to find time to get it set in a ring while I was in Bangkok. I assumed it would take several days but Noi immediately designed a ring for me and they made it up and delivered it to the hotel by 2:00 PM Sunday. Amazing! You could never get anything done that quickly here in the US. Again, Chob Thank you so much for your warmth and expertise. I thoroughly enjoyed learning some of Thailand’s history and current culture through you and I look forward to seeing you again next October!
Henry G. Textor : Germany HenryGTextor@web.de A tour a bit out of scale and a tour not to the glittering touristic parts of Bangkok, this was exactly what I was looking for.
Our tour to Minburi, where Bangkok is more quiet, more on the relaxed side, where it is more rural and where you can get a peek into originally daily Thai life style, done with public transportation only, was one kind of an experience.
But Chob, you are not only an experienced professional tour guide, you are a charming, wonderful and warm hearted person and since I am coming to Bangkok on a regular basis, I am sure that this was not our last tour.
Rick Fulford : Canada
I recently visited BangkokThailand and had the pleasure and good fortune of hiring the services of Thai Tour Guide, Chob Panma. For anyone visiting Thailand this is a "must" way to do it.
Chob speaks excellent English, is very knowledgeable in his country's history and was able to answer every question I could throw at him. His personality is such that he quickly becomes more of a friend than a hired tour guide.
The first day Chob picked me up at my hotel at the agreed upon time and we did the RoyalGrandPalace and RoyalTemple + City + TempleTour. The sights are absolutely amazing and Chob's background knowledge and insight put the "Spirits" in the temples. With the flexible itinerary there was never a rush to move on to the next marvel.
On the second day I did the Ayutthaya Tour, the highlight of which was the AyutthayaHistoricalPark. This is a UNESSO World Heritage site and was the ancient capital of SIAM. Once again Chob's knowledge of Thai History brought the old buildings "back to life" with his insight and commentary. Money very well spent!
Johann & Sandra Swart : USA - Sweden www.johann-sandra.com I just wanted to take a moment out to tell you how happy Sandra and I were with our tour the other day. Truly, you do an outstanding job – we really appreciate your extra effort to not only give us a tour of the Palace and Temples, but to give us a real introduction to Bangkok. Most of the tour guides we’ve hired in Asia have done little more than try to sell us on more tours, or haul us through factories where they could get commission. It was so refreshing to have someone who seemed to really care that we enjoyed not only this tour but our time in Bangkok after the tour was over. We have already recommended you to others on TripAdvisor, and will continue to do so. We will also recommend you to our customers as well. You are truly one of the most organized and thoughtful tour guides that we have ever had, and we have had hundreds all over the world.
Thanks again for making the extra effort to deliver an outstanding experience for us. We will not forget it.
Maggie, Harry, Gunter, Gabriele : Vienna – Austria
What a wonderful experience we had with Chob and his team as our tour guide in Bangkok. We were greeted at the airport by Ms. A with flowers and a very comfortable minibus.
Ms. Pu took over and showed us the main sights in Bangkok. I can recommend a private itinerary because it provides more flexibility which, in our case, during the rainy month of September meant we could change plans at last minute! Ms. A, Ms. Pu, Chob and the Driver´s were punctual and extremely friendly. We spent most of our time with Ms. Pu who was extremely knowledgeable and gave us an interesting glimpse into Thailand's heritage!
My group all agreed that the costs for transfers and private tour guides etc was value for money and Ms. Pu even bought us delicacies at the Floating Market from her own pocket!!
We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental hotel which is a pleasure and we travelled independently on to Koh Samui (Santiburi hotel) and Phi Phi Island (PP Island Village Resort)....given the efficiency of Chob´s company I would feel confident to have them book my whole itinerary in Thailand for my next visit.
Thanks Chob to you all for a really remarkable experience. Co-ordinating my group of up to 8 people was made very simple with your staff. I look forward to using your company again in the future.
John Gilbert & Sherry Neswick : USA Sherryneswick@comcast.net
I'm trying so hard to sort through the many photographs that I was able to take while visiting Bangkok.
I can't thank you enough for making our journey even more wonderful. We loved having you guide us through your country with such expertise.
If you should ever need a reference as to how terrific you are as a guide. Please call on us
