-
Dat from Melbourne
, Florida, USA
My wife and I were visiting Chiang Mai for four days in November 2017. Before the trip, we had found his service advertized on the internet and, through emails in English, had Ben agree to be our driver for the duration of the stay. He was on hand to greet us at the airport, and after giving us time to rest at the hotel, met with us to discuss his specific proposal for the days. We came to a tentative agreement on his driving service which reflected both our preferences and his familiarity with the sites to visit in and around Chiang Mai. Ben provided excellent service during our entire visit. He was prompt, polite, enthusiastic and very attentive to our needs large and small--including side visits to food markets or a department store to pick up a watch! He took good photographs of/for us. He was flexible and willing to accommodate changes in our schedules. His vehicle was fairly new, spacious, comfortable, quiet, clean, and equipped forever with bottled water and wet naps. In addition to seeing the sites, we had many interesting conversations with Ben during the drives, which helped us to know more about the city, its people and about Ben more as a good fellow traveler/friend. Ben made this first visit of ours to Chiang Mai very worthwhile. We would highly recommend him as a driver for your visit to Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas.
-
Ronel & Dee
, New Zealand
Ben is such a lovely, kind person and the time spent with him during the drive to Baan Tong Luang Village and back to the airport was such a pleasure.
Unfortunately we ran out of time, but he is quite happy to show you all the sights around Chiang Mai at a very reasonable cost.
His English is excellent and we?ll remember his humorous and interesting stories for a long while.
Thank you Ben for your excellent service and it was such an honour to meet you.
Wishing you many more years of happy driving and may Karma smile on you and your business.
-
Steve
, Auckland New Zealand
I found Bens driving service on the net I emailed him and recieved a prompt reply
Ben arranged to collect me from my condo at 9am the next morning Ben was right on time and escorted me to his current model Toyota 4 wd with all the trimmings leather seats excellent a.c. and the vehicle was immaculate Ice cold bottled water is provided foc
Ben is very upfront about pricing which I appreciated I might add his service is great value for money I visited all the sights in and around the city I was so impressed I booked Ben for a second day This time after he took me to a few shopping areas at my request we headed outside the city We visited a number fantastic places I was the only foreigner at most of the locations we went too It was fantastic to visit places usually only frequented by Thai holiday makers Bens knowledge integrity and excellent driving skills makes him a MUST for anyone looking for a driver in and around Chiang Mai"
-
Ben and Sherry
, New York City U.S.A
I had done a quick internet search for private drivers in Chiangmai and found a very nice review for Benji's services so decided to contact him to compare rates to our hotel concierge offerings. After our initial plan of visiting Elephant Nature Park fell through (you need to book FAR in advance) we needed to figure out an alternative. Benji responded to my inquiry within 2hrs and was very easy to communicate with regarding setting up pickup, and his rates were similar to what we saw in the meter taxi we took from CNX to the hotel. He arrived promptly the next morning to pick us up, and had a custom itinerary planned for us to include the attractions we wanted to see while in Chiangmai, and other attractions based on his experience. He even took the time to call the Elephant Sanctuary and bring us to their local office to book for the following day! For our day trip Benji brought us to a beautiful mountain town with excellent views, the tribal villages (famous long neck women and great local craftsmanship), Tiger Kingdom, and finally the secluded Bua Tong waterfall area. All along the way we had great conversation (his english is excellent!) about local culture, and at each location Benji was great about taking photos of us so we did not have to bother others to do so. I would absolutely recommend Benji as a private driver, and if you are unsure of what you want to see he will be able to guide you in the right direction!
-
Henrik and Birthe Eriksen
, Suzhou, China
We hereby want to thank you for driving us around in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai area for 4 days while there recently.
You are a very good driver, safe and fast pace. You were always on time and we truly appreciate that! You were well prepared and were even able to easily adjust to our change of plans when it happened.
You fully understood that we needed a driver only and not a tour guide an still you gave very good suggestions for us while during our conversations you noticed we could need ideas.
It has been a pleasure for us to feel you dedicated service at all times and bring us to the places we wished to see. We can highly recommend you and your driving skills to any kind of tourist in Chiang Mai area!
-
Philippe
, French
Mars 2016
Ben nous a conduit autour de Chiang Mai le dimanche et nous sommes parti 2 jours ? Pai (route difficile tr?s sinueuse)
Ben est tr?s serviable, ponctuel. La voiture est tr?s confortable.
Pas de mauvaise surprise
Nous recommandons ma femme et moi les services de Ben pour vos excursions autour de Chiang Mai.
We recommand Ben as a driver for your excursions around Chiang Mai.
-
Andrea en Maarten
, Netherlands
On October 27th and 28th 2015 we visited Chiang Mai. A colleague of me advised me to hire Ben as a driver for our visit. At home I mailed Ben and he directly replied at my mail. We had instantly a nice contact and Bens English is very well. On Oct 27th and 28th Ben arrived way in time and we left for some nice tours. Ben is a very correct, nice guy with whom we had a great click. He drove us around for two days and never had a dull moment. Ben is nice carrying and is always prepared with nice wet tissues. Thanks to Ben we had some great days in Chiang Mai before we went on to the south. Thanks Ben for giving us a blast. If we come back to Thailand we?ll also come back to you Ben.
-
Rita and Hillel
, Israel
We had hired the services of Benj (benjirakotmongkol; mail benjirak@yahoo.com) as our driver
and guide for 3 days/ 2 nights round trip CM-Pai-Mae Hong-Son-CM, with overnights in Pai and in Mae Hong Son.
We had an excellent experience with Benj.
He is very polite, modest but knowledgeable about the entire area of our trip. His English is fluent and we could not believe him telling us that he did not learn it in school but rather "on the job".
Benj is very easy going and flexible with routes and times and what is more important, provides his insight when necessary. His propositions regarding what to see, where to stop and more importantly - what to skip, proved always right and contributing to our fun on the trip. His driving through this tough and curved rout was relaxing and safe.
I am sure that if again in CM we will look for him if we need a driver.
-
Randy and Darrell
, Hawaii
We spend several months a year in Thailand and decided to hire Ben for the 2nd time and head North. We wanted to go to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and The Golden Triangle on this trip and visit as many Temples as we could for our daily meditation. Ben came though with flying colors again. What a delightful trip!
First of all Ben is a terrific driver and we always felt safe and well taken care of from start to finish and his automobile is exquisitely clean and comfortable. Ben is very informative with a really fun sense of humor.
Secondly, we were thrilled with our daily itinerary. Do not miss going to the White Temple. Stunning.Plus you should eat across the street from the White Temple at the "food court." The food was very inexpensive, nice portions and quite delicious!
We also very much enjoyed going to the tea plantation. Nice walk with delightful green tea and some green tea cake at the outdoor cafe overlooking the beautiful grounds.
Another one of our favorites was going to Buphing Palace and touring the gardens. We are both gardeners and these grounds were breathtaking. For guys, as a reminder, you will either need to wear shorts that go below the knees or you will have to rent (at the entrance) a wrap that will cover your legs. The walk through the grounds should be taken slowly and take in all of the artistic designs of the flower gardens.
Doi Suthep. Very happy we did not miss going here but on our next trip to Chiang Mai we will go to this site as early in the morning as possible. Later in the morning / noon / afternoon times the tourists are elbow to elbow it seems.
Ben was remarkable throughout the whole trip. We would alter plans and sometimes shorten the day depending on how our energy was in the afternoon and he was very accommodating. After our trip was finished, we felt like we were saying goodbye to a new friend and not just a driver.
-
Pratha
, Denmark Western Australia
This is just a note to thank you for four great days touring around Lanna. You were an excellent driver with a sense of punctuality that is rare. The vehicle was spotless and very comfortable and your knowledge of the local sites good. I shall certainly use your services again should I ever return to Chiang Mai.
Once again thank for an excellent experience.
-
Alexis and Alex
, New York USA
My husband and I were in Chiang Mai for a few days in late December for our honeymoon. We wanted to see a bunch of things in the area one of the days, but since we were new to Thailand and didn't know our way around, we decided to hire a private driver/tour guide.Through some online research, we came across Ben's site and after some quick and prompt emailing, booked him for the tour. We're so glad we did. He tailored the trip to our liking and was really helpful with tips and recommendations, as well as last minute itinerary changes. Ben was always available but not overbearing, and I've never seen a car so impeccably kept. We'd highly recommend hiring Ben for whatever your tour needs may be in the Chiang Mai area.
-
Braam & Theo
, South Africa
We had the most marvelous time up to Doi Inthanon and a two day journey to Mae Salong. Ben is a careful driver, we never felt unsafe and was very attentive to our needs adapting his tours to suit our taste. We have been to Chiang Mai and surroundings a couple of times, but through his eyes we had new experiences. He was always willing to stop where we liked and gave us enough time to do what we enjoy. I highly recommend his service. If we get to Chiang Mai again, he will definitely be our driver again.
-
Mr. Peter Wagner
, Colonge Germany
Hi Ben.Thank you very much to be my guide and to show me so many beautiful places!! You are a great driver and I feel that you always give your very best to make your customers happy. I apologies again for feeling not healthy. I am still not good but I take my medicine and will relax today and tomorrow to recover. If I come back to North of Thailand I will definitely ask you to be my guide again.
Best wishes to you, you are good guy
Peter
-
Joseph & Chie
, California USA
My wife and I were headed to Thailand for our second leg of our honeymoon, and with a couple days left until we were to arrive in Chiang Mai, we still didn't have anything planned! Luckily, we found Ben and he was able to not only accommodate us on such a short notice, but also suggest a whole itinerary for our stay. We had him as our driver for the entire week, and we could not have asked for anyone better.
To put it short, we had an absolutely wonderful time driving all over northern Thailand, visiting some beautiful temples, caves, tea plantations, and everything else inbetween. Ben really knows his way around, and was constantly suggesting spots we could visit to have a nice little walk. He's also a remarkable driver -- we felt super comfortable climbing into the back of Ben's car after every stop, knowing that he has decades of experience on his side. Our trip from the Golden Triangle to Mae Salong -- driving along miles and miles of winding mountainous roads -- just solidified what we already knew about his driving. And on top of all that, Ben was quick to offer us any water or wet naps, as it does get quite hot and sweaty walking around in Thailand.
Each day, we started at around 8 or 9 am, with Ben never failing to arrive at our guesthouse early to check and see if we were awake. And that kind of hospitality continued for the entirety of the trip; wherever we went, he would make sure we had enough time to do what we wanted, never rushing us to get to the next place on time.
But the one thing that stood out the most to us was Ben's cheerful personality and love for his country. He's probably one of the nicest people we have ever met, and conversation with him was never dull. We were so happy to be with someone who shared our enthusiasm with each place we visited. He even helped us out while shopping at some of the local markets (those vendors can be pushy sometimes!)
If we were to ever come back to Chiang Mai, Ben would be our first choice, and he's proven that there's more to his job than just driving. Thanks for everything, Ban!
-
Peter & Anne
, England
We recently visited the North of Thailand for the first time starting and finishing at Chiang Mai. We arranged in advance for Khun Ben to drive us to see some of the local sights. He provided a suggested itinerary for the 5 days including suitable accommodation for the 4 nights. We were very fortunate with the weather given that it was the wet season and all our travels went according to plan. The Toyota Fortuna was comfortable and very suitable vehicle for the road conditions. Khun Ben was always punctual picking us up in the mornings, providing a good flow of drinking water and particularly welcomed cold towels after our hot excursions to see the many beautiful and interesting sights. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the area and look forward to returning soon.