Thailand - In 22 Nights / 23 Days
Thailand was our first long - really long by Indian standards trip. After a lot of deliberation, pricing, manager leave approvals - we booked our flights leaving 14th Dec returning 5th Jan 2012. Yes - 22 nights and 23 days of international travel! The next big challenge - manage it within a budget - that too during peak season of Christmas & New Year. The itinerary designed was:
Bangkok - 3 Nights
We landed in Bangkok early morning around 6am and it was all dressed up in festive colors. We took a quick nap after reaching our hotel which was located in Day 1 was spent in checking out some malls nearby, local street food experimentation and beer gardens. Day 2 we headed for the Bangkok tour - again we avoided the Hop on off or Day tour buses instead decided to go through Tuk Tuk. We started with a nice boat trip through the river and were shown some really different sights of the city - a must try! Next was the Buddha tours - standing Buddha, sleeping Buddha, Royal Palace etc and clicking lots of photos. The day ended with Thai Kick Boxing match. Day 3 went in few more monuments and ended up in Khao Sok - again a must visit bustling street with bag packers and cheap shopping!
Hotel: The Twin Towers, check my TripAdvisor review: Hotel Review
Koh Samui - 5 Nights
We took the overnight Bangkok - Surat Thani train and then a local bus to ferry station followed by a 2 hour boat trip to Koh Samui. This island provides both luxurious villas for honeymooners to budget beach accommodation. We were lucky to get a beautiful hotel right on the Choeng Mon beach, that too at steel of 800 Baht per day! We rented a 2 wheeler for self drive, took out our map and spent the next 5 days exploring this beautiful island, the different beaches, the night life and the sea food. Unfortunately, we could not make it to the Full Moon Party on the islands nearby :(
Hotel: Choeng Mon Beach Hotel, check my TripAdvisor review: Hotel Review
Khao Sak - 2 Nights
We wanted to give couple of nights to "non-beach" place and that's where we decided on Khao Sak - a national forest. We took a bus from Surat Thani to Khao Sak - approx 5 hours drive. Our hotel was right in the heart of the forest with themed cottages surrounded by large mountains and rivers. Next day we took a long trek in the national park but could not spot much of wildlife.
Krabi - 2 Nights
Krabi is a province with multiple small islands, unfortunately we had booked our hotel in the mainland city which is not a tourist place. So we spent good amount of time traveling from hotel to different places. We did an island hopping boat trip (recommended!) through some of the most amazing waters and small single mountain islands. Would recommend not to stay in Krabi Town but choose islands like Railay, Phi Phi
Phi Phi - 2 Nights
Now this is one place you should not miss! A small island populated with great beach, many hotels, bustling streets, great party life and most importantly - no vehicles! Its well connected by frequent ferries between Krabi & Phuket. Eat, drink, trek, party on this island and we were on the Christmas eve which made it more fun.
Phuket - 5 Nights
Just an hours ferry ride from Phi Phi, Phuket is the largest island of Thailand and offers long stretches of beach, endless choice for hotels and good tourist attractions & shows. It also boasts a great nightlife for parties and adult entertainment with its go-go and ping-pong shows. We stayed in a small hotel in Patong beach cos that where most of the activities are. We again rented a 2 wheeler, and just like Ko Samui, visited random beaches, hotels, pubs. The new year was celebrated on the beach hopping between the multiple free government parties with lots of drinks, music, fire crackers and dance.
Pattaya - 2 Nights
Pattaya does not have a sand beach and offers a one of Asis's largest pier. Its famous for its nightlife - "The Walking Street", cheap shopping and sea food. We visited the Noong Nooch village, the Floating Market. Last day we took an early morning ride to Bangkok airport to fly back home after a long, relaxing and memorable trip of Thailand.
Budget:
You can always manage Thailand within a limited budget through smart bookings. Our entire trip of 23 days was less than Rs. 1 Lakh per head. Some key tips to help you plan better
1. Always plan early for long international trips. Book your flights atleast 2 months in advance and the hotels as well if you are going in peak season.
2. Spend sufficient time on different websites to search for the right quality at the best price hotels
3. Always keep track of your budget - avoid shopping
4. Most important - Travel local- rent a bike, meet some strangers / tourists, try the local food, absorb the culture!
- Bangkok - 3 nights
- Koh Samui - 5 nights
- Khao Sak - 2 nights
- Krabi - 2 nights
- Phi Phi - 2 nights
- Phuket - 5 nights
- Pattaya - 2 nights
Bangkok - 3 Nights
We landed in Bangkok early morning around 6am and it was all dressed up in festive colors. We took a quick nap after reaching our hotel which was located in Day 1 was spent in checking out some malls nearby, local street food experimentation and beer gardens. Day 2 we headed for the Bangkok tour - again we avoided the Hop on off or Day tour buses instead decided to go through Tuk Tuk. We started with a nice boat trip through the river and were shown some really different sights of the city - a must try! Next was the Buddha tours - standing Buddha, sleeping Buddha, Royal Palace etc and clicking lots of photos. The day ended with Thai Kick Boxing match. Day 3 went in few more monuments and ended up in Khao Sok - again a must visit bustling street with bag packers and cheap shopping!
Hotel: The Twin Towers, check my TripAdvisor review: Hotel Review
Koh Samui - 5 Nights
We took the overnight Bangkok - Surat Thani train and then a local bus to ferry station followed by a 2 hour boat trip to Koh Samui. This island provides both luxurious villas for honeymooners to budget beach accommodation. We were lucky to get a beautiful hotel right on the Choeng Mon beach, that too at steel of 800 Baht per day! We rented a 2 wheeler for self drive, took out our map and spent the next 5 days exploring this beautiful island, the different beaches, the night life and the sea food. Unfortunately, we could not make it to the Full Moon Party on the islands nearby :(
Hotel: Choeng Mon Beach Hotel, check my TripAdvisor review: Hotel Review
Khao Sak - 2 Nights
We wanted to give couple of nights to "non-beach" place and that's where we decided on Khao Sak - a national forest. We took a bus from Surat Thani to Khao Sak - approx 5 hours drive. Our hotel was right in the heart of the forest with themed cottages surrounded by large mountains and rivers. Next day we took a long trek in the national park but could not spot much of wildlife.
Krabi - 2 Nights
Krabi is a province with multiple small islands, unfortunately we had booked our hotel in the mainland city which is not a tourist place. So we spent good amount of time traveling from hotel to different places. We did an island hopping boat trip (recommended!) through some of the most amazing waters and small single mountain islands. Would recommend not to stay in Krabi Town but choose islands like Railay, Phi Phi
Phi Phi - 2 Nights
Now this is one place you should not miss! A small island populated with great beach, many hotels, bustling streets, great party life and most importantly - no vehicles! Its well connected by frequent ferries between Krabi & Phuket. Eat, drink, trek, party on this island and we were on the Christmas eve which made it more fun.
Phuket - 5 Nights
Just an hours ferry ride from Phi Phi, Phuket is the largest island of Thailand and offers long stretches of beach, endless choice for hotels and good tourist attractions & shows. It also boasts a great nightlife for parties and adult entertainment with its go-go and ping-pong shows. We stayed in a small hotel in Patong beach cos that where most of the activities are. We again rented a 2 wheeler, and just like Ko Samui, visited random beaches, hotels, pubs. The new year was celebrated on the beach hopping between the multiple free government parties with lots of drinks, music, fire crackers and dance.
Pattaya - 2 Nights
Pattaya does not have a sand beach and offers a one of Asis's largest pier. Its famous for its nightlife - "The Walking Street", cheap shopping and sea food. We visited the Noong Nooch village, the Floating Market. Last day we took an early morning ride to Bangkok airport to fly back home after a long, relaxing and memorable trip of Thailand.
Budget:
You can always manage Thailand within a limited budget through smart bookings. Our entire trip of 23 days was less than Rs. 1 Lakh per head. Some key tips to help you plan better
1. Always plan early for long international trips. Book your flights atleast 2 months in advance and the hotels as well if you are going in peak season.
2. Spend sufficient time on different websites to search for the right quality at the best price hotels
3. Always keep track of your budget - avoid shopping
4. Most important - Travel local- rent a bike, meet some strangers / tourists, try the local food, absorb the culture!
Nice and descriptive blog. Lets us plan our next trip.
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