THAILAND
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”
There are so many places to stay, eat and drink in each country, it just comes down to a matter of budget, preferences and time. Below is an account of each city visited in Thailand, where we stayed, things we enjoyed doing and places we ate & drank that were memorable. I’ve also included some relevant places from a trip to Thailand I took in 2005.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in Thailand with a population of 1.2 million people as of 2022. Known for its lush green hills, Buddhist temples and cooler mountain climate, Chiang Mai is a jewel of a city that should be on everyones itinerary when visiting Thailand. It also rated as one of the top digital nomad cities in the world. One thing to be aware of when planning travel is the annual Burning Season… This can make for an unpleasant experience if you are in the middle of it so be sure to plan around this.
We planned a week in Chiang Mai, and rented a car to be able to freely explore the area and visit further off locations as well, including a fun weekend roadtrip to Pai. This is a country of driving on the left side of the road, so please be aware of that when planning your visit.
AirBnB - We opted for an AirBNB in a building that was close to old town, and full of expats and digital nomads. It had a great rooftop pool with amazing sunsets views over the mountains, in unit laundry and a great gym.
Tamarind Village (2005) - I stayed here in 2005, and absolutely loved it. Right in the heart of Old Town, minimalist vibes and a beautiful property. Highly recommend if you’re looking to splurge.
Ginger Farm Kitchen - This place was one of our favorite restaurants in Chiang Mai. Fresh food, amazing Khao Soi and in a nice upscale shopping area called One Nimman.
Pakorn’s Kitchen - A basic family run place, no frills but some of the best food, especially Massaman Curry around.
The White Rabbit - a ‘Matrix’ themed speakeasy with amazing cocktails located inside the Old City.
My Place Lounge - If you are craving a drink, a good western style breakfast & your favorite team on the tv, this is the place to go.
New York Hair Studio - Need a style, cut or color? This place is top notch, and located very close to One Nimman.
Things We Enjoyed
Visiting Doi Inthanon National Park, an absolutely stunning area with temples, flowers, gardens and more. Playing disc golf at Lanna Rock Garden (check out my disc golfing reel on Instagram for more footage & video), taking in Wachirathan Waterfall & Loha Prasat Mueang Pong, a newly build temple in the hills. And lastly, taking a weekend roadtrip to Pai… See the next section.
Pai
Pai is a town in the Mae Hong Soon Province of northern Thailand. It sits in a valley on the banks of the Pai River. Pai is a little paradise with a cozy, laid-back vibe and offers a perfect blend of adventure and relaxation. There are waterfalls, mountains, rice paddy fields, temples, viewpoints and plenty of coffee bars waiting to be explored. Pai is about a 3 hour ride from the city, via car, scooter, private shuttle or bus. It has changed quite a bit since 2005, but it is still a cute little hippie town with a big heart and a lot to offer.
We originally planned to spend 1 night in Pai, but upon arrival I immediately booked another night so we could fully enjoy this area, including the fun nightlife.
Medio De Pai Hotel - We stayed one night at this cozy little place. Loved the woodwork, stained glass windows and the gorgeous pool.
Sylvana Pai Hotel - We stayed our 2nd night here, and enjoyed it. Cute koi fish pond & garden to relax in, and spacious clean rooms.
Om Garden Cafe - An adorable restaurant with a delicious breakfast.
Why Not Bar - A fun bar in the center of town with great music and people watching.
10Rai - A chill place outside town to grab a drink and watch the sunset. Some nights have DJs and special events.
Spirit Bar - A small bar tucked away out of sight with mellow vibes and live music.
Along the way
Here are a few places we stopped along the way from Chiang Mai to Pai… A fun roadtrip with plenty to see and eat.
Pankled Coffee - An adorable cafe and bakery with a delicious grilled ham & cheese, excellent coffee and sheep everywhere.
We Witch - Another great little cafe with good coffee and kitschy decorations everywhere focused on you guessed it, witches.
Huai Nam Dang National Park - Beautiful grounds with flowers everywhere, beautiful views and adorable resident cats.
Mok Fa Waterfall - A short hike brings you to a beautiful waterfall.
Things We Enjoyed
Visiting Big Buddha Pai, climbing the stairs for amazing views. Wandering through the Pai night market eating all the food. Tubing down the Pai river; there are 2 options; regular tubing and tipsy tubing... One is more focused on drinking and fun :-)
For more footage on Pai and our adventures, check out my Pai Reel on Instagram.
When I visited Pai in 2005, I took a 2 day rafting trip from Pai to Mae Hong Song that included an overnight camping in the jungle with Pai Adventures, a company that’s been around since 1990. If you like adventure, are ok with roughing it *aka camping overnight in the jungle with little more than a mosquito net, this adventure is for you.
Bangkok
The capital of Thailand with more than 9 million residents, Bangkok is bustling. There is something for everyone in this vibrant city. Gorgeous skyscrapers, amazing temples and shrines, insanely fun nightlife, shopping for all budgets and great street markets… This city has so much to offer.
We spent 5 nights here which was enough for a taste, but we definitely could have stayed longer.
Bangkok Marriott The Surawongse - We splurged on this hotel using Marriott points I’d accumulated while working… This was an AMAZING hotel, we stayed 5 nights. The rooftop pool had views of the King Power (aka Tetris building), Robot building and the Bangkok skyline to die for, the rooms were insanely plush, and the complimentary breakfast was one of the best I’ve ever had. If you have the points, or want to splurge, this is the place to do it.
Le Meridian Suvarnabhumi - We stayed here for two nights as well before and after visiting BLES elephant sanctuary since it was close to the Bangkok airport.
Maggie Choo’s - This was a fantastic bar & jazz nightclub with live music, great cocktails and a speakeasy vibe. Matt the general manager was fantastic to chat with. We ended up visiting twice during our 5 night stay.
Sky Bar - Ok so we got sucked into seeing this place because we loved the movie The Hangover… Buyer beware; this place is incredibly expensive, and men need to wear pants… Hence the pants rental place in the lobby of the hotel (we should have known better)… We ended up going up, seeing the prices of the drinks, about $35 USD. Ouch! We snapped a pic of the views, and left.
There are sooooo many places in Bangkok to visit for nightlife and food, impossible to list them all. We mainly enjoyed the views from our pool during the day and ventured out at night to enjoy the sights and take in all the nightlife. We loved this city and cannot wait to come back for more.
Things We Enjoyed
Going to a Muay Thai boxing event at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Taking a Tuk Tuk tour of the city to see Wat Arun, The Grand Palace, Giant Swing, the Flower Market & eat street food. Visiting Soi Cowboy for a few beers to take in the famous Thai nightlife. Going to the Bangkok Riverside Fest to see some live music, check out their Elephant Boat Race competitions and see how the locals lived and enjoyed their city.
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) near Sukhothai
Elephant Sanctuaries are all over Thailand, but there are very few that are truly ethical places to visit and spend time with elephants. We chose BLES because of their wonderful reputation and being one of the only places that allow the elephants to roam where they please, do not allow visitors to touch the elephants, and do not allow people to bathe the elephants in the river. There is a minimum stay required, and they are typically booked out months in advance. They also do not allow day visitors, so please do not simply ‘show up’ at this place, you will be turned away. While volunteering at BLES, you will stay at an adorable little guesthouse, be fed the most amazing vegan food you never thought you’d love, if you dare - sample some mahout moonshine 😅, and will become a part of the BLES family.
Below are some links to their website with FAQ’s, how to book and additional information. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and we cannot recommend visiting BLES enough. The BLES Family; Katharine, Kru Sing, her kids, and all the mahouts are simply the BEST people ever. For a better look into our experience, check out my BLES reel on Instagram.
What to Expect & How to Book a Visit
Beyond the Sanctuary
In addition to spending our days with the Elephants, Katherine & Kru Sing brought us to other places in the area to visit including; Sukhothai Historical Park for some bike riding through the temples, a sunset picnic at the Huai Rai Reservoir, a sunrise hike to the Huay Ton High Viewpoint and lastly a market visit in the local village for some of the best 75 cent Pad Thai ever.
Krabi
Krabi, on southern Thailand’s west coast, is a province characterized by craggy, sheer limestone cliffs, dense mangrove forests, and more than a hundred offshore islands. This is a popular place in Thailand to visit (some would say over touristed), so if you are looking for the remote little off the beaten path beach like in the movie and book ‘The Beach’, this area is probably not for you… Even though this is the area where you can actually visit The Beach (aka Maya Bay). It is a good launching point to go further south in search of less visited towns & beaches. Or it is a great place to relax, enjoy beautiful beaches and have all the comforts of a place geared toward tourism.
We spent 3 nights here, and rented a car so we could explore the area, and ultimately drive from Krabi to Phuket exploring Khao Sok National Park along the way.
Aonang Colors Hotel - We chose this hotel based on its close proximity to Railay Beach which is only accessible by long tail boat. The hotel was cute, clean and had great stained glass everywhere, koi fish to welcome us and a cute rooftop pool.
Umberto - Italian is global, and Thailand is no exception. We ate here mainly for convenience (next door to the hotel) and because we were craving pizza… Which was delicious. We ended up eating here twice, mainly because we were feeling lazy, but also because it was just so good.
Cafe 8.98 - This place was absolutely delicious.. We ate breakfast here. The frittata was bomb, and the acai bowl was fresh as hell. Excellent coffee and lattes as well. Highly recommend.
Things We Enjoyed
Visiting Phra Nang Beach (near Railay Beach) and the Princess Cave which is full of penis statues and carvings of all sizes and colors. Railay was very crowded so we didn’t explore a lot of the other areas & caves. We also loved visiting the Emerald Pool, there were tons of walking paths and you could swim in one of them… My main regret is not taking the journey to Maya Bay, but I was over the crowds at this point.. Perhaps next time.
Khao Sok National Park
This area is still a bit off the main tourist trail, but not for long. If you get a chance, do not hesitate to visit Khao Sok National Park, you will not regret it. It is covered by the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world, huge limestone mountains shooting straight up in the air, deep valleys, breathtaking lakes and floating bungalows you can sleep in.
Tanoshi Glamping - This is one of my favorite places I’ve ever stayed. It is an amazing property with only 2 units so it feels very private. The owners are incredibly kind, the space is well thought out, and the views are to die for. Words won’t do it justice, so if you are curious just check out the link, or head to Booking.com for more details and pictures. They also offer an awesome breakfast which is included, and you can also pay extra for a Korean hot pot experience… Worth it!
Panvaree Resort - These are adorable floating bungalows in the heart of Khao Sok. They offer amazing set & sunrise views, kayaking and swimming from your doorstep. These are all inclusive due to their location, the food is on par with an all inclusive, and the beers are cold.
Bridge Hill Cafe - This place was a little instagrammy, but the iced coffee was great, and the stairway to nowhere with a view (see pic to the right) was kind of fun to walk up. If you pass by it’s worth a stop.
Things We Enjoyed Along the Way from Krabi to Phuket
We stopped at several places along the way from Krabi to Phuket in the Khao Sok area & beyond. A few favorites were Chiew Larn Lake which had awesome views & beautiful flowers everywhere. The marina taking you to Panvaree Resort had some areas to feed fish and just look around. We stopped at Khao Lak Lam Ru National Park for a hike and a dip which was quite nice.
Phuket
A busy, highly touristed area with some great beaches, accommodation for any budget, shopping, restaurants and bars galore. Phuket is the Vegas of Thailand. Not a place I’d choose to visit for a vacation, but a the convenience of the international airport for our onward plans (India) and abundance of incredibly comfortable hotel and condo options made this a good option.
We stayed in Phuket for a week to relax, catch up on everyday things and prepare for our 2 week journey ahead in India. It was a good choice for this.
Saturdays Residence by Sure - Located on the southern area of Phuket near Rawai Beach, this accommodation is geared toward longer term rentals. We rented a 1 bedroom unit, which was decorated like a Manhattan condo, had one of the most comfortable beds ever, an onsite cafe, a well equipped gym and 2 amazing pools. We loved it.
Unni’s Nai Harn - A great restaurant with amazing tacos & margaritas. Everything we saw pass by looked delicious.
SFX Cinema - A world class movie theater complete with lounge, snacks, blankets and recliners.
Barefoot Bistro at Freedom Beach - Yummy food with awesome beach loungers and a view.
Things We Enjoyed
Hiking around Promthep Cape for some morning exercise, hiking to Freedom Beach using a little trail that was run by locals who owned the property (be sure to follow this link to the Lek Sand Beach Bar for parking & the trail… NOT for people with mobility issues. Again, we mainly were here to relax so we spent most of our time reading books by the pool, and preparing for our journey ahead to India & Nepal.
Additional Thailand Travel Websites, Podcasts & YouTube Videos:
Below are some great resources on what to do, where to go & overall planning advice for your adventure in Vietnam.
Lonely Planet - Well known & trusted source for travel information for almost 50 years.
Nomadic Matt - Thailand travel guide from a pro traveler on a budget since 2008
Thailand Starts Here - A comprehensive guide from someone who’s lived & traveled there for more than a decade.
The Blonde Abroad - A detailed travel guide for Thailand from an expert solo female traveler.
The Broke Backpacker - Traveling on a budget in Thailand from a backpackers perspective.
Paddy Doyle Top 10 Islands - YouTube channel with countless short videos on Thailand from an expert traveler.
Is there a Doctor Walla in the House - Fantastic blog from a Colorado based couple we met in Thailand (American Super Bowl drunk fest at an Irish pub at dawn)
Want more? …Check out my Month in Thailand Blog for more details on Thailand or my Travel Resources page for more great information on travel planning.