Is Bangkok Safe?

Essentially Bangkok is a safe city compared to others but you still need to exercise commonsense and diligence. The gem and jewellery scams are notorious so be wary particularly around the Grand Palace where the touts lurk in wait. Keep an eye on your personal items in crowded places such as markets and shopping centres.

Bangkok has seen a high level of political unrest recently and our policy to offer our clients full support whilst they are travelling with us includes providing regular updates and contingency plans should political tension arise again.

Is Bangkok Child-friendly?

Thailand is a very easy country to travel with children and Thais have a natural affinity with kids that is both endearing and more often than not helpful too! It is not uncommon for restaurant waitresses to entertain your children leaving you to enjoy your meal and surroundings for example.

Each member of our team frequently travels in Thailand and the region and several have kids. We are always willing to offer advise and recommendations to our clients about travelling with babies and young children; the best destinations, hotels and with notice can also make arrangements for car seats, milk powder, any in-room amenities that you need and trustworthy nannies and babysitters.

Is Bangkok suitable for people with reduced mobility?

Unfortunately Bangkok can pose serious problems and difficulties for people with reduced mobility. Pavements are unpredictable with an obstacle course of pot-holes, ridges, ruts, random trees, telephone boxes and street stalls to navigate; a challenge for anyone.

Although wheelchair ramps are slowly becoming more common by no means all buildings offer them and public transport is not usually equipped to facilitate disabled access. Public buses would be impossible for wheel chair users. Some Skytrain stations have wheelchair facilities to enable ascent and descent from the ticketing level and platform above but not all, in fact they are in the minority. The subway system has better disabled facilities with elevators in practically all stations and locks for wheelchairs on the trains.

Bangkok Taxis are usually the best, most efficient and only practical option but please note that taxi drivers generally have no experience or training to assist wheelchair-bound customer in and out of cars but most will show willing.

At Suvarnabhumi International Airport, elevators and disabled toilet facilities are noted by their almost total absence making navigation extremely difficult for those with reduced mobility.

When is the best time to visit Bangkok Thailand?

It really depends on what you are coming to Thailand for. There are 3 seasons; the hot season from February to April, the rainy season from May to October and the cool season from November to January.

The temperature (and humidity) during the hot season tends to increase with time and Bangkok can become stiflingly hot but if a tan is what you are after then this is the best season for the beach. The hot season is also among the most expensive travel seasons in Thailand when hotel rooms are at a premium.

Most visitors dismiss the Rainy season which is why hotel rates tumble making it a great time to travel Thailand enjoying a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. The waterfalls are at their most dramatic and so are the flowers, forests and meadows and it is certainly the best time to be here for adventure sports such as trekking and white water rafting in Khao Yai for example. However if the sea is your lure the rainy season is not for you.

The climate during the cool season is ideal. Void of the intense heat and humidity, beer gardens emerge across the city tempting salubrious, al fresco style evenings beneath the stars in Bangkok. However if you are planning to go north into the hills and mountains you may well need warmer clothes as the temperature in some parts plummets at night to near freezing particularly in the mountains of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Loei provices.

What are the best ways to get around Bangkok?

The infamous Bangkok traffic jams remain very much in evidence with some parts of the city simply gridlocked particularly during the rush hours. By far the most convenient way to zip around town is by using a combination of the Skytrain (BTS) and Subway (MRT) lines which are extremely cheap, spotlessly clean, safe and air conditioned.

Bangkok taxis are also very cheap and can be hailed throughout the day and night. Bangkok taxi drivers, however, are generally not that verse in English and confusion is fairly commonplace if you cant speak Thai. The best thing to do is to ask your hotel concierge to tell the taxi driver exactly where you want to go and that should alleviate all potential frustration. Avoid rush hours if you can.

For sightseeing the Chao Phraya River ferries are fast, convenient, refreshing and add to the adventure. Head to Saphan Taksin by Skytrain, switch to a ferry going upstream and you will pass many of the city’s main landmarks along the way whilst being refreshed by the soothing river breeze.

Motorcycle taxis beat the traffic most of the time weaving their way very precariously through the cars but neither the drivers nor their passengers are invincible and accidents do happen with regularity. ZiZ Asia does not recommend this mode of “public transport” to its clients and in case of an accident your insurance is highly unlikely to cover it.

How much time should we allocate to Bangkok?

This all depends on the purpose of your trip and what you are interested in seeing and doing. Many of our clients use Bangkok as their base camp striking out on day trips and overnight tours to neighbouring provinces; to play golf or explore the Kanchanaburi jungles for example. Others spend just a night here at each end of their holiday.

The best thing to do if you are uncertain is to get in touch with us and tell us what you are interested in doing and seeing and we can make recommendations for your stay in Bangkok and throughout Thailand and Indochina accordingly.

What is a realistic per diem?

Needless to say this depends on the lifestyle that you intend to lead here. Food can cost as little as 30 Baht for a plate of fried rice to well over 3,000 Baht per head for a three course meal at one of the city’s prime restaurants and there are many options in between.

You can buy local brand beer (Singh, Chang etc) at supermarkets for around 45 Baht for a large bottle and premium beers (Tiger and Heneiken) are between 50 and 75 Baht a bottle. In clubs and bars these prices escalate to 150 Baht upwards for a small bottle. Wine from the supermarket starts at around 450 Baht a bottle while a good vintage from a well known vineyard can be 10,000 Baht upwards in a restaurant or bar that specialises in wine.

Shopping for clothing and personal accessories is no different. There are countless day and night markets where both can be obtained very cheaply through to the genuine labels and chic boutiques in malls such as Siam Paragon, Gaysorn, Emporium and Central World Plaza where you will expect to pay significantly more but in most cases less than you would pay in the likes of London, Paris and New York.

If you would like us to we can advise and recommend a per diem once we have had an opportunity to get to know you better and the lifestyle you like to or intend to lead.

What are the best beaches near Bangkok?

If water sports are your thing such as sailing, scuba diving, jet skiing, banana boats, deep sea fishing, kite surfing and wind surfing Pattaya is where to go. Over recent years Pattaya has cleaned up its act significantly and that includes the beach and coastal waters but Pattaya nightlife remains less than subtle.

Koh Samet is a very popular weekend escape for Bangkokians and despite its size it has several personalities depending on where you are on the island ranging from ultra chic, luxurious and peaceful to beach party. It is a beautiful island and the journey to the ferry is less than two and a half hours from Bangkok. Contact Us for receommendations that fit your lifestyle.

Further down the coast from Koh Samet virtually on the Cambodian Thai boarder is Koh Chang, Thailand’s second largest island and you can get here by plane or road. The scene is far quieter and less developed than Phuket and Koh Samui and the beaches are beautiful. Koh Chang is also surrounded by an archipelago of smaller islands that includes Koh Kood now home to the stunning Soneva-Kiri by Six Senses.

South of Bangkok are Cha Am, Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan all three very popular Bangkok escapes with lots to see and do from water sports to golf, sailing, jungles and elephant polo! Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan are also home to a handful of world-class destination spas including the legendary Chiva Som.

Is it customary to Tip in Bangkok?

Tipping is commonplace for porters, hotel staff and in restaurants and 10 – 15% is the standard guideline. With Bangkok taxis it is less a case of tipping than just rounding the fare up so that there is a few extra baht for the taxi driver, particularly if they have provided you a good service (aka driven safely and well and found where you want to go.

What are the Bangkok Best Buys?

Bangkok shopping is about clothes, personal accessories, gems and jewellery and increasingly art. The environment in which you find these items whizzes haphazardly from glamorous malls to pedestrian markets. In Bangkok you will find necessities and indulgences, real and fake, oddities and junk but above all it really is a place where the term “retail therapy” is personified and fun!

Clothing and personal accessories includes exotic silks and tailoring with standards of quality that spans the spectrum. Many of the world’s gems and jewels pass through Bangkok on their way to end markets around the world and the quality and expertise is certainly here. But so are the charlatans unfortunately and gem scams are very commonplace. If you do want to shop for gems and jewels by far the best thing to do is to be chaperoned by an expert for the day.

What is ZiZ Asia?

ZiZ Asia is a Bangkok Destination Management Company (DMC) with both a luxury travel agency and event planning department constituting our business. We offer a wide range of event and destination planning services for discerning clients whose satisfaction always comes first.

What is a Destination Management Company?

The term “Destination Management Company (DMC)” describes a company based at destination that possesses a thorough local knowledge, expertise and the necessary resources to professionally design, create and implement events, activities, tours, transportation and logistics.

A DMC has the ability and know-how to offer comprehensive ground services which include transport, hotel accommodation, restaurants, activities, excursions, conference venues, themed events, gala dinners and logistics, meetings, incentive trips and bridging language barriers.

And this definition is in-effect a summary profile of ZiZ Asia in Bangkok.

How many years has ZiZ Asia been a registered Business?

ZiZ Asia has been a registered business since Q1, 2009 and has paid up capital of 2m Thai Baht.

What makes ZiZ Asia Special?

By working with ZiZ Asia you unlock a depth of experience and local knowledge which takes and has taken years (over a decade in fact) to accumulate. Our team is passionate and professional and ready to customise and adapt everything and anything to fit your requirements.

We have a mature supplier network covering all aspects of travel and events and these supplier are trusted, tried and tested. With us it is not about maximising margins via cheap suppliers for short term gain we want to see you back again and for that to happen we need to exceed your expectations,

We pride ourselves in being totally transparent with our clients. We take time to understand your requirements before getting to work on your proposal. When you receive your proposal by email it will contain a quotation and breakdown of costs and a total Net price. With ZiZ Asia there are no hidden charges.

Our team is dedicated and able to showcase Bangkok to you from a locals perspective spotlighting places, venues, activities and entertainment that might otherwise take years to unearth independently. This combined with our service standards and creativity is why clients come back to us.

Do you have a business license?

Yes! ZiZ Asia is a fully bonded member of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) among several other memberships and affiliations. Furthermore we only work with bona fide suppliers of commensurate standing.

Is ZiZ Asia Independently Owned?

ZiZ Asia is a private limited company with a strong executive leadership team. We are streamlined, agile and flexible and we know our business and how to satisfy and exceed requirements and expectations.

Why should we use a Destination Management Company?

The options for Bangkok are endless with umpteen companies across the globe offering services in the City of Angels and so why use a Destination Management Company? More to the point why use ZIZ Asia for Bangkok travel and events?

We will save you a huge amount of time, cost and uncertainty. What we offer is a one-stop-shop and a seamless end-to-end service that is founded on an in-depth knowledge of the locale, professional and trusted relationships who we deal directly with, expertise and access to a diversity of local resources. As a multi national company, when you work with us the Thai language barrier evaporates.

Our services are adapted to your requirements, not the other way around. We digest your needs and objectives and design to fulfill them in entirety. We offer the best that Bangkok and the surrounds have to offer to create unique, memorable and authentic experiences within your budgetary guidelines and can infuse any skeletal plan with the right catering, venues and entertainment to create a very big bang for your buck in Bangkok.

Does ZiZ Asia only provide travel planning for Bangkok?

Bangkok is home territory and where each member of our team has been based for over 10 years. So long as you are passing through Bangkok though we can provide you with full luxury travel services throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar (Burma). That includes end-to-end Indochina tailor-made holidays, weekend escapes, spa retreats and activity weekends for example.

What Travel Services do you Offer?

We offer seamless tailor made holidays and our services begin and usually end at Suvarnabhumi Airport with all details in-between taken care of. In all cases we offer tailor made travel which means that anything can be fully customised to meet your requirements. Our portfolio of travel services includes transport, luxury hotels, private tours, activities, villas, spas and any Concierge services that you require.

Are Flights included in your Travel Arrangements?

Once you are with us in Bangkok all domestic and regional flights are included in your itinerary but your inbound flights from your country of residence are not included and nor do we offer commercial flight ticketing as a stand-alone service.

Do you handle Group Travel?

Small, private groups are what we specialise in including Bangkok Activity Weekends through to Sports Days, Team Challenges, Private Parties and Celebrations. The more people in your group the cheaper it is per head which means that you, the organiser, might even go free!

Do you charge solo and single supplements?

Our speciality is in making travel and event arrangements for private groups. However we do offer hotel reservations on a per room basis as opposed to per occupant but where our tours and activities are concerned they are almost always significantly more expensive to do as a solo or single traveller. As a rule of thumb with us, the larger your group the cheaper everything becomes.

How is the consumer protected?

We are bonded members of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and will voluntarily return all recoverable costs that we can to our clients in case of cancellation or alteration subject to the Terms and Conditions applied to your contract with us. Terms and Conditions are unique to each set of travel and event arrangements and are provided prior to agreement.

Do we need travel insurance?

That each member of your party has travel insurance is itemised in our Booking Terms and Conditions and when you book and make travel reservations with us you are confirming that all members of your party do have or will have travel insurance prior to your date of arrival and that your insurance covers all activities that are featured in your travel arrangements made with us.

How do we make bookings and pay for the arrangements?

Here are the following ways that you can contact our travel team in Bangkok to confirm your trip plan:

• Contact Us – Simply get in touch with us via our Contact Us page describing your party, dates and where and what you would like to do and we will get back to you within 24 hours;
• Look through ZiZ Bangkok – Every hotel, tour, activity and experience has a contact form at the bottom of it. If you are interested in a specific experience simply complete the form and submit it;
• Trip Planner – If you know roughly what you would like to do and the services you require then you could use our Trip Planner form which will give us a sketch, a framework, so that we can respond with destinations, hotel options, activities and experiences that fit your travel brief and requirements.
• Telephone – You are very welcome to telephone us on +66 (0)2 948 2904 to get your trip planning started. We will respond with an email and await confirmation of your requirements in “writing” before proceeding further or confirming any aspects / details therein. Please note that we forward all proposals to you in writing by email as we treat each and every one of our clients on a personal level and independently. Please do not expect to receive quotations by telephone.

Payment is required in the form of a deposit if your arrival date exceeds 3 months or in full if your arrival date is within 3 months (90-days).

ZiZ Asia offers the following payment methods:

• Bank Wire Transfer
• Online Credit Card via our Corporate PayPal account

Please note that we do not confirm any travel arrangements on your behalf until full payment has been received.

What are the hidden costs?

We pride ourselves in providing a totally transparent service and when we forward you a travel proposal and quotation that is the net price with no hidden costs. We do not charge credit card fees and all relevant tax, VAT and service charges are included in the quotation.

What about Cancellations and Alterations to trip plans?

ZiZ Asia voluntarily returns all recoverable funds to our clients subject to the Terms and Conditions pertaining to your specific trip plan which are supplied with your trip plan proposal. Every hotel, tour operator and activity provider that we work with has their own unique terms and conditions regarding alterations and cancellations.

What Corporate Events do you organise?

Our Corporate Event services focus on Corporate Entertainment for internal teams and clients alike, Incentive Trips, Meetings, Conferences, Gala Dinners and more.

For internal company events we focus on increasing your teams’ productivity and cohesion and where providing hospitality for your clients is concerned we will create an environment that lends itself to private networking and sales with a strong brand message.

What Social Events to you Organise?

We arrange a whole array of Social Events big and small including Weddings, Cocktail Parties, Boat Parties, Stag (Buck) Parties, Hen Nights, Anniversaries, Birthday Parties and Celebrations.

We have social events to entertain all ages with lots of creative spice and fun!

What is your scope of Event Planning and Management?

At the pinnacle of our Event Management we offer a totally seamless service from the moment your guests arrive at the airport to the moment the leave with all requirements including airport transfers, tours, spouse programs, activities, venues and event management included complete with a bid management service for those that would like to explore the options.

We are sufficiently agile to be able to offer and fulfil specific roles in your event management process as well if you do not intend to outsource the entire production to us. For example we could deliver the destination management aspects of your event, design Bangkok spouse programs, evening activities or fun days.

Do you charge for Bangkok venue finding services?

No. Our Bangkok venue finding service is free of charge.

What Role does the Client have in Venue and Event Supplier Selection?

We offer a complete bid management process where and when appropriate and are very happy to share the bids confidentially with you, our client, so that you can quickly arrive at an informed decision. Bid Management may be implemented during the venue management process or for the selection of niche suppliers where and when required.

Please note that if you are intending to outsource all Bangkok destination management for your event to us we will use our existing suppliers who we know and trust.

What is the minimum number of Guests required for Events?

It depends on the event but we generally plan for between 10 and 1000+ guests. In all cases the minimum spend per group is 75,000 Thai Baht (approx. US$2,500).

What about Security, Privacy and high profile guest?

Client privacy, confidentiality and security are a paramount part of our service. All personally identifiable information collected by us about you and your guests whilst making travel and event arrangements are strictly governed by our Privacy Policy.

Our Bangkok VIP Services can literally begin at the aircraft door shuttling individual VIP’s or parties through immigration and into our airport limousines with or without a police escort. We can also provide personal protection should any member of your party require it.

Suffice to say that we never divulge any client details without first obtaining written permission from you. Discretion is guaranteed.

How do we start the Event Planning process?

In all cases we ask that you send us a Request for Proposal (RFP) for your event so that we can properly digest and understand your requirements and objectives. If you have already drafted a RFP then you can simply forward that to us by email to events@zizbangkok.com.

If you haven’t already produced an RFP then please use our Request for Proposal template adding as much detail and as many specifics as possible.

Once we have received your RFP an Account Manager from our Events Team will be in touch within 24 hours.

What Corporate Travel Services do you offer in Bangkok?

Our Corporate Clients have access to our complete portfolio of accommodation, transport, airport services, tours, activities and event themes which can be adapted to your requirements in all instances.

We find meeting rooms for business travellers and arrange activities such as golf, clay pigeon shooting and spa treatments for relaxation. We arrange Incentive Trips both in Bangkok and Central Thailand and Corporate Hospitality and Entertainment with spice.

Planning doesn’t begin until we have a thorough understanding of your requirements. Once underway your event objectives are etched indelibly on the event plan. Our events team proactively explores ways to tweak the event so that it has a positive impact on your company’s bottom-line.

Your satisfaction is our business and our intention is to forge a lasting relationship with your company. To achieve that our sights are set on consistently exceeding your expectations.

What about Payments and Deposits?

Every special event that we plan and manage is customised for the individual client and therefore is subject to unique terms, conditions and payment schedules. As a rule of thumb though our typical payment schedule for Special Events with a production element is:

• Contract Signing – 50%
• 90-Days Prior to Event – 30%
• Event Completion (within 30-days)– 20%

NB – The above payment schedule is an example of the type of schedule used for Special Event and Event Productions and does not apply to activities, activity weekends, sports, tours, hotels, courses, spas, cruises and restaurant dining etc which in all cases require full payment before we can confirm your arrangements.