Thailand 2016
Our hotel for the next three nights was the Millennium Hilton and did not disappoint. Staff were attentive and everything you would expect from this well-known chain.
Rising up from the banks of the Chao Phraya River, the hotel offered breathtaking views and it was fantastic to be situated by the river and make use of the complimentary shuttle boats.
Attractions were within easy reach and I would recommend buying an all-day River Pass so that you can hop on and off and make the most of all the places of interest.
Highlights not to be missed included the Grand Palace, What Pho, Dusit Park, China Town, The Flower Markets and afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental.
The Tuk Tuk’s are reasonable in price and are a fun way to get around although occasionally go a little too fast but my daughter didn’t seem to mind; it was only me hanging on for dear life!
A lovely day out of town is Ayutthaya, an old ancient capital. You can travel from the main rail station in Bangkok Hualamphong. The journey takes between 1hr20min and 2hr30min depending on the train that you take. It’s quite an experience to take in some of the local culture out of the city.
Ayutthaya is well worth the day trip if you are in to ancient ruins and photography, we had a fabulous Tuk Tuk driver who gave us a very in depth tour of town. He also waited patiently with us for our return departure and most flamboyantly got us across the rail track when we nearly missed the train.
Next stop, the Floating Markets and Kanachanaburi.
One of my favourite days, the Floating Markets were hectic, colourful and full of bartering. To be honest, I didn’t feel they were “touristy”, I thought they seemed quite authentic, although prices were a little higher than Bangkok.
You need to leave early to embrace the essence of the markets but the smells are divine and it’s a fantastic photo opportunity. We had a hire car, so it was a nice drive out of Bangkok and easy to park up.
After a frenetic but enjoyable morning it was time for a calm and relaxing drive to Kanchanaburi, a place I had wanted to visit for many years.
Kanchanaburi was quite a bit bigger than I thought but had some hidden gems. Lots of photo opportunities on the Bridge over The River Kwai and an interesting trip to the cemetery and museum, it’s certainly a place to remember all our war heroes.
We stayed out of town in a small hotel, the Oriental Kwai Resort. It was right on the river and it was very authentic and had a very tranquil feel to it. We only stayed one night but could have stayed longer. The surrounding areas near the river and Erewan National Park were very beautiful and quite different from the landscape near Bangkok. Unfortunately, we didn’t get chance to travel on The Death Railway, we have saved this for another time.
We spent a day with the elephants at Elephants World, just outside Kanchanaburi. It was truly a magical day spending time with the elders and baby elephants called Spy and Hong Tong, they were hilarious. We cooked food for them, fed them and bathed with them. A long but memorable day!
Back to Bangkok and right in to the thick of Songkran, Thai New Year and Water Festival. Driving was busy to say the least but we enjoyed all the water being sprayed at us in a truly carnival atmosphere.
We then took a flight between Bangkok and Phuket. We stayed at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa hotel, right on Karon Beach. It was quite a sprawling hotel and I felt in need of some modernisation but offering all services from a spa break to conference facilities.
Phuket Old Town had some very interesting and beautiful architecture dating back over 100 years, definitely worth a visit. There are some lovely old authentic restaurants also not to be missed. Some of the beautiful outlying islands are easily accessible from Phuket.
After a couple of nights in Phuket we commenced our journey to Krabi via the extraordinary Phang Nga Bay. It’s well known for the limestone outcrops that rise of the ocean and it’s famous for being featured in the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun.
It didn’t disappoint. After haggling with a local Thai lady, probably a millionaire; we struck up a bargain and hired a private long-tail boat to journey through the mangroves, you can share if there are other participants around at the same time as you or you can pre-book a tour. One of the highlights was a visit to Ko Panyi, a village build on stilts. A very relaxing day with hidden surprises and if you prefer to be more energetic, you can kayak around these islands. Well worth a day trip!
And now for the relaxing bit. On Krabi and the islands we stayed at the lovely Amari Vogue Beach Hotel; a small and intimate boutique hotel on Tubkaek Beach. It had a lovely calm and tranquil atmosphere offering spa facilities. The service and food was excellent. We visited Krabi, Hong Island, Kho Phi Phi Islands, Railay Beach and drove to Ko Lanta.
Hong Island was reachable by private long-tail boat from our hotel, truly beautiful beach. Railay Beach and Kho Phi Phi (The Beach) were reached by boat from Ao Nang. My husband did the walk at Railay (see his amazing photo) and arrived back five minutes before the last ferry back to Ao Nang looking slight dishevelled to say the least!
We drove to Ko Lanta, I would say Ko Lanta was my least favourite island as the beaches were not as beautiful as some of the others although some of the drive there was spectacular. This island caters more for the backpacker.
A highlight after our trip to Kho Phi Phi was that by coincidence our hotel was showing The Beach on our beach so after a fantastic day trip to the islands it was pizza and The Beach on the beach. So easy to make a teenage daughter happy!
Phew, what a holiday! I would describe Thailand as a cocktail with a little bit of everything thrown in; culture, authenticity, 5* service, true friendliness, stunning beach and island locations. We hired a car throughout our holiday but if you prefer it’s easy to arrange tours and transfers.
An alternative to Elephants World is the amazing Elephant Hills, situated one hour from Surat Thani Airport or a couple of hours from Phuket Airport and situated in the beautiful National Park of Khao Sok. You really will enjoy the amazing beauty and culture that Thailand has to offer and I hope you enjoy the photos.