If you're 'old school' and don't like watching videos, here's a quick breakdown of the tour for you.

You make your own way to Bangkok and book your own hotel. This gives you the opportunity to use frequent flyer miles and hotel rewards etc. We all meet up in the lobby of the Patumwan Princess hotel at 8.30am on the first day of the tour, ready to hit the streets. The tour costs $800 per person (twin share) and includes two nights accommodation in Ayutthaya on Days 2 & 3 of the tour.

Brief Itinerary:

Day ^#1: A fascinating walking tour of old royal Bangkok. Interesting food, Buddha factories and temples.

Day ^#2: Pack your bags we're off to Ayutthaya. But first, we visit Or Tor Kor market to explore the raw ingredients and visit the food vendors to have a picnic lunch in the park. Afternoon free to explore, relax by the pool or get a massage followed by sunset drinks at a ruined temple and dinner in a night market.

Day ^#3: We're off to explore 13th century ruins, ride an elephant, learn how to make Persian fairy floss by hand - afternoon free to explore more ruins, relax in the pool with a beer etc. That evening we're off to watch the elephants bathe in the river and dinner in a local restaurant.

Day ^#4: Early morning start to visit another fascinating ruin before heading to the river to take a long tail boat down to the King's old summer palace. We travel by rickety cable car to a bizarre neo-gothic style buddhist temple, visit the palace and should reach Bangkok by 2pm.

Costs & Duration:

The four day tag-along tour costs $800 per person (twin share). Limited to just 8 people, this allows flexibility to see and do much more than a rigidly scheduled tour. Each group is accompanied by a Spirit House chef and Thai speaking leader, Acland Brierty.

We usually finish each day by 2pm. which allows plenty of free time before dinner to shop, sit by the pool, relax with a massage or visit some more cultural sights.

Put your wallet away:

We cover all transport and daytime food costs while we're out and about on the tour. In Ayutthaya all your accommodation and food are included — breakfast, lunch and dinner — as well as entry into the temple ruins and other sights.

Flights:

It's not because we're lazy that we don't offer flights or accommodation for Bangkok — we know that many of you have frequent flyer miles, hotel rewards cards etc. and we want you to have the freedom to use any rewards, points or memberships to make your trip as easy and flexible as possible.

So with that in mind, simply make your way to Bangkok in whatever fashion you chose. Give yourself a day in Bangkok before the tour so you can unwind before hitting the pavements with us.

Where to stay:

Stay at the brand new Lit Hotel which is a bit closer to the action than the more popular Siam at Siam. Novotel Siam and Patumwan Princess are both a stone's throw from the major shopping action but all these hotels are within easy walking distance of each other and close to our departure point - the Patumwan Princess Hotel.

When you book your hotel keep in mind that for two nights of the tour we're in Ayutthaya so you may want to check out of your Bangkok hotel on Day ^#2 of the tour and, depending on your onward travels, make a booking for when we return to Bangkok on Day ^#4.

We've created a small map of the area we recommend you to stay. You can see the location of the hotels, shopping districts plus some interesting places to visit and explore. All these places are within walking distance of each other. We've also added helpful information on each place which you can see simply clicking the icons on the map.

View our accomodation map in a larger map

Lastly, the best way to get great deals on accommodation in Bangkok is to visit agoda.com you can search agoda for all the above hotels.

N^o1: You need to book a hotel for the nights you are staying in Bangkok leading up to the tour.

N^o2: You will also need a room for the night of the FIRST day of the tagalong tour.

N^o3: Unless you are flying out of Bangkok at the end of the last day of the tag-along tour, you will also need a room in Bangkok on the night of the last day of the tour.

The Thai tag-along tour is $800 per person and includes all your transport, daytime meals and snacks plus two night accommodation in Ayutthaya at a boutique hotel

You will need to organise your own accommodation for the nights of Day 1 and - assuming your staying in Bangkok at the end of our tour - Day 4 of our tour

As with the Thai tour, you make your own way to Hanoi and book your own hotel; preferably in the old quarter which is close to our departure point. The tour leaves from the lobby of the Sofitel Metropole Hotel (15 Ngo Quyen St, Ha Noi). The three day Hanoi Tour costs ^$600 per person (twin share) which includes all transport, food and activities:

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1:

Breakfast on Bun Rieu Cua, a delicious, fragrant crab and rice noodle soup. For those that are up for it, this stall also makes divine crème caramel – thus proving that the French were good for something! After the soup, it's off to a bustling market which supplies restaurants, hotels. It is a great spot for picking up culinary souvenirs such as ceramic or wooden pestle and mortars, Vietnamese knives, peelers, zesters. We will have a roving feast as we try some different fruits and snacks.

We return to the Old Quarter for a coffee or juice at the 'Secret Café', an oasis of peace high above the noise and the crowds of the city. A chance for you to kick back and absorb one of the most fabulous views of central Ha Noi and perhaps even try their famous sabayon coffee.

Day 2:

Today we breakfast on Viet Nam's version of Chicken Noodle Soup known as Pho Ga, then head to a small neighbourhood street market located in what used to be one of the sentinel villages of old Ha Noi. It is an area of historical interest as well as a great spot to see how Ha Noi is embracing the 21st Century. Much smaller than the market we visited yesterday, this services the local community.

At the end of the market street is a traditional Communal House, housing both a stone stele dating from the Ly Dynasty as well as a Three Mother's Temple – Viet Nam's indigenous, matriarchal, animistic religion that has now been blended with Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

Lunch is eaten early in Ha Noi so that everyone can maximise their siesta time! We dine at a Madam Hien's – a restaurant created by the Sofitel Meterpole's former Executive Chef, Didier Corlou, in honour of his mother-in-law – for a Vietnamese family-style lunch with a chic French twist.

Day 3:

So you've seen the markets and tasted some of Hanoi's delicious cuisine. Now it's time to try your hand at creating some of these fine dishes. First it's a trip to the market to buy our ingredients. Once fully stocked, we'll hop in a cyclo ride to the renowned Highway 4 restaurant to test you culinary skills. While the cyclo is no longer a common form of transport (except for tourists and romantic couples!), it is actually a lovely way to take in the vibrant street life in a relaxed and leisurely manner.

Then it's into the Highway 4 kitchens to learn how to create some dishes that you may have tried in the markets as well as some that we have not yet seen. The menu varies seasonally but will include a range of tasty Vietnamese fare such as:


Banana Flower Salad with Dried Beef,
Sea Clams Sauteed with Basil,
Mountain Pork Fillets Grilled in Banana Leaf,
Chicken Grilled with Lemon Leaves
the famous Highway 4 Catfish Spring Rolls.

Costs & Duration:

The three day tag-along tour costs $600 per person. Each tour is limited to just 8 people which gives us the flexibility and intimacy to see and do much more than a traditional tour. Each tour is accompanied by a Spirit House chef and tour leader, Sarah Clarke.

The great thing about this tour is we are usually finished by 2pm. Giving you plenty of time to do some shopping, sit by the pool, grab a massage or take in some more sights.

What's included:

All daytime snacks, non alcoholic drinks and lunch are included in the price of the tour. Beer or wine is at your expense.

With so many fancy restaurants or bargain priced food markets to explore each evening, dinner is not included in the tour price. Evenings are a great time to catch up with other tag-along members and discover new sites, sounds and tastes - or simply stay in your hotel for a restful night. Our team will give dining recommendations and make bookings for you - and probably join you for dinner too if asked nicely!

Flights:

It's not because we're lazy that we don't offer flights or accommodation for Hanoi — we know that many of you have frequent flyer miles, hotel rewards cards etc. and we want you to have the freedom to use any rewards, points or memberships to make your trip as easy and flexible as possible.

Where to stay:

We leave from the Sofitel Metropole hotel each day so you can choose to stay there or pick a hotel in the Old Quarter which is not only bustling with great shops and restaurants but is within walking distance of the Sofitel.

We thoroughly recommend the Hanoi Elegance hotels which are small and great value for money. You can find them on the map below.

View Hanoi Tour Map in a larger map