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Part II: The Lynch Family Adventure
Laos & Thailand January 2008
Hello! The Lynch family is back home now after an amazing 11-day adventure in Laos and Thailand. When last I wrote you, we were about to embark on a Mekong River cruise. I will pick up our journey from there. I hope my descriptions stir the wanderlust in you to experience Laos and Thailand for yourself. We are happy to share more details - there is so much to enjoy!
Let's begin where we left off, with the Mekong River. Experiencing Mekong River life, including stops in local minority villages, is fantastic. The Luang Say Cruise is unbeatable – the bonus is the great scenery and the group dynamic among fellow travelers.
In contrast to the 5-Star luxury resorts we normally use in Southeast Asia, my seven-year old daughter Zennia considers the tranquil Luang Say Cruise down the Mekong River as "roughing-it." The 2 day/1 night journey down the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to Huai Say Laos, cross the border from Thailand, is a great way to wind down and simply enjoy the Mekong River culture and scenery.
The Luang Say river barges have comfortable open-air seating for 40 passengers, plying the Mekong for seven hours each day. We overnighted literally in the middle of nowhere, on the banks of the Mekong at the Luang Say Lodge. Although certainly not luxury, the lodge has clean, comfortable villas overlooking the Mekong and a friendly, Laotian staff that earnestly cared for our needs. This is a rustic environment in a good way. Based on the clean, pristine air and remote location, I feel we had the best sleep of our entire journey here!
Local Village Life along the Mekong River
 
 
Talk about a New Year's Party!
The physical facilities, grounds and setting at the Anantara Resort/Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai, Thailand are absolutely beautiful with an elephant-themed design. Service level is somewhat spotty due to English language/communication breakdowns. But a great plus: Elephant training camp! Bev, Zen, Sofia and I experienced a magnificent New Year's Eve Party here that included a mass Baci Ceremony, an elephant parade and a lavish dinner around the pool complex. To top it off, the Anantara even provided all guests with Lana (minority group) costumes for the party – Zen and Sofia loved the dressing up part!
 
In contrast to just 5 years past, it's truly amazing to see the number of families traveling to Southeast Asia during the holidays. While at the Anantara, we met families from Santa Monica, NYC, Milwaukee, New Haven, CT, and San Francisco - a wide range of age groups – many families traveling with kids age 6-10, teenagers – Zen & Sofia met many new friends, including a Danish family. In the past we met mainly Europeans traveling with their kids – now its predominantly American families we see. It's so great to see this!
I must tell you about the Mandarin Oriental Dhari Dhevi/Chiang Mai. This is a sprawling luxury resort covering over 40 acres with spacious 2-story Thai-style villas, over-the-top amenities and very courteous, friendly English speaking staff.
-Although the service is superb, the physical grounds are so large and spread out that the environment seems a bit overwhelming and excessive, not so much an intimate feeling.
-A must place for breakfast is the Spa Center outdoor café overlooking the property's idyllic lush, green North Rice fields. It serves very tasty organic foods and juices – the egg-white omelet with herbs and vegetables is sooo good!
-Another bonus here for the kids is the working water buffalo in the adjacent rice fields – Zen and Sofia loved the ride on the water buffalo!
-An interesting sidebars: check out the Mandarin common-area restroom – so luxurious with pervasive scent of mint.
Those are Some Amazing Elephants!
The Maesa Mahout Private Elephant Center was among the unique highlights of our Southeast Asia trip. What the Four Seasons or Mandarin are to luxury hotel accommodations, the Maesa Elephant camp is to very personal, hands-on, high touch elephant training. Among our party of four, we had a personal photographer and eight mahout elephant trainers.
 
Our three-hour private elephant camp experience included a brief training of elephant commands, riding the elephants on our own (no worries with trainers close by), personally bathing the elephants in the river (so much fun!!), ending with a painting session with our elephants. Yes, with directions, these elephants can actually paint and draw . Zen and Sofia had their elephants draw some abstract pictures of flowers and trees and sunshine – we will have these framed to save this amazing experience.
 
Four Seasons vs. the Mandarin in Chiang Mai
Once you adjust to the scale and complexity of the expansive grounds, the Mandarin's level of high-touch service really starts to grow on you. The Mandarin's genuinely sincere service is hard to beat. The two large beautiful pools and the comprehensive "Kid's Club" make this place ideal for family travel.
We have always had a special place in our hearts for the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. The Four Seasons grounds are smaller in scale, a more understated sense of luxury, thus you get an intimate, Zen-like feel here. Similar to the Mandarin, the Four Seasons staff is so sincere and truly unbelievably kind. With the expansion of the Four Season's Kid's Club, the family luxury travel experience here is similar to the Mandarin. Overall, in terms of luxury accommodations in Chiang Mai, you cannot go wrong at either property - both world class!
So this is my travelogue from our amazing family journey. The New York Times recently chose Laos as the number one destination to visit in 2008. We could not agree more. If you're interested in creating a custom journey to Laos and Thailand, or anywhere in Southeast Asia, call us at 800.354.3404 and we'll be more than happy to put together a journey designed for you and your family.
Best!
Randy Lynch |
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