Thailand

My original Thailand blog post was deleted when I switched web hosts, so this one won’t be nearly as in depth, but I get asked about this daily, so I just wanted to have something to refer you guys to!

Photo from our longboat tour in Phi Phi!

Itinerary

• Thursday: Land in Bangkok

• Friday: Fly from Bangkok to Chang Mai

• Saturday: Chang Mai

• Sunday: Chang Mai, fly from CM to Phuket

• Monday: Phuket

• Tuesday: Phuket

• Wednesday: Phuket, speedboat from Phuket to Phi Phi Islands

• Thursday: Phi Phi Islands

• Friday: Phi Phi Islands

• Saturday: speedboat from Phi Phi to Phuket, fly from Phuket to Bangkok

• Sunday: Bangkok, fly home!

We spent about 10 days in Thailand and I feel like if that’s all you can do, that’s totally fine. But if we were doing it again, I’d add two more days just for cushion as we did have travel issues on the way out!

Villa Zolitude Pool

Flights

From Kansas City, we had about 24 hours of travel to Thailand. It seems so much worse than it is, I promise! It was worth every minute of flying! We flew: KC to Dallas, Dallas to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Qatar, Qatar to Bankgok.

A question I get often is: how do you survive the long flights? And my answer is two things! For one thing, I always bring a sleeping aid with me! But my other piece of advice is to pay to upgrade your seat if possible. We’ve never flown first class, but we did upgrade to premium economy on this trip and it makes the world of difference. The seats are so much better, you have a ton more room, drinks are included, they have their own bathrooms, etc.

Streets of Bangkok!

How i book travel

All of our hotels were booked with Safara. If you’re unfamiliar with Safara, when you book a hotel, you get 10% cashback into your account towards you next booking. It has been a no brainer, and has been how I’ve booked every trip in this last year.

I made enough in credit off of our Thailand trip to book our next two hotels we stayed in, for free! My discount link will get you $50 off your first booking too! My link is here!

Hotels

• Bangkok: Banyan Tree Bangkok

  • We loved this hotel! It’s in the heart of Bangkok (shopping, massages, night markets, food), but about 45 mins from the airport so if you need quicker access, not what I’d recommend!

• Bangkok: Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi

  • This hotel was gorgeous! If you watched my stories, this is where we did night golf which was freaking incredible. This is about 10 mins from the airport, so if you need to be close, this is what I’d recommend!

• Phuket: Villa Zolitude

  • Absolutely phenomenal hotel. Especially if you’re on a honeymoon, or looking for something quiet and intimate, this hotel is a no brainer. It’s about 25 minutes from the beach, but tucked away in the most lush trees. Most rooms have their own pools which is what I’d recommend. Would stay here again in a heartbeat.

• Phi Phi: Sai Phi Phi

  • I have nothing but incredible things to say about this resort. Our room was immaculate, and so big for what I was expecting. Everything was ridiculously clean, and the food was wonderful. The only thing I would mention is that we thought this was adults only, and it wasn’t, although I was so impressed with it that I would go back regardless.

• Chang Mai: Akyra Manor

  • This hotel was fabulous! It was close to everything we wanted to be close to, they offered free breakfast, and our room had the most ridiculous private tub on our balcony that overlooked the sunset. If you’re there in the warmer months, they have a rooftop pool and bar that are incredible too! Nothing but great things to say about Akyra!

My best friend and I did a ridiculous amount of research for this trip, and I would without a doubt recommend any of these hotels. If we did Thailand again, I’d stay in them all again! Hotels were something we wanted to splurge on, so you can definitely find cheaper options, but I didn’t regret a single dollar spent on any of these!

Our hotel room at Villa Zolitude!

Things you can’t miss

• Chang Mai: B Samcook Home16

  • A sorority sister of mine recommended this and when I tell you this is the ONE thing in Chang Mai you can’t miss, I mean it. It’s a 13 course dinner; the most incredible food I’ve ever eaten in my life. It’s not just a dinner, it’s such an amazing experience start to finish and a memory I will never forget! It’s unlimited wine, and if you drink too much, they drive you home! I think we paid $50 per person, incredibly cheap. Make a reservation via FB!

• Chang Mai: Chai Lai Orchid

  • This elephant sanctuary was unforgettable, you absolutely cannot miss it. We did the full day tour, and we enjoyed every minute, but even if you can only do half, it’s still 100% worth it. The elephants are truly magical and the experience is once in a lifetime!

• Chang Mai: Wat Phra Singh

  • This is the only temple we had time for in Chang Mai, but it was absolutely beautiful. You have to go tour at least one while you’re in Thailand!

• Phi Phi Islands: Longboat Day

  • No matter where you stay in Phi Phi, your hotel can set you up with a longboat tour. It’s probably my favorite thing we did in Thailand. The water in Phi Phi is like nothing I’ve ever seen before! You get to spend the entire day on the water, touring all of the beaches around the islands. It’s the best way to see all that Phi Phi has to offer! It was a day straight out of a movie.

• Phi Phi Islands: Scuba

  • I am not certified in scuba and have no desire to be, but Taylor is and he said the diving in Phi Phi is better than anywhere else he’s ever done it. Our friend that came with us wasn’t certified, but Sai Phi Phi offered a half day course that he took, so he was able to go out with Taylor. So even if you’re not certified yet, ask if your hotel offers it!

• Chang Mai: Night Markets

  • The night markets were incredible! This is where you can shop from the locals, enjoy a ton of delicious local food, listen to music, get reflexology massages, etc. It has a little bit of everything, but you can’t miss it!

• Bangkok: Massages

  • The massages in Thailand are notorious for being cheap, but incredible, and they are! This was the first thing all four of us did in Thailand and I think we were all as equally relaxed as we were amused when they started standing on the guy’s backs. It was definitely an experience you can’t miss.

• Phuket: Beaches!

  • If you want a good beach day, do it in Phuket. The beaches are incredible, and they aren’t too crowded. There are plenty of umbrellas, and they have servers that walk by and take drink orders all day long. There are also a ton of beach hotels where you can grab lunch!

Chai Lai Orchid!

Cost

Something people always ask about when it comes to travel, is cost. And I get it! I want to know too. Thailand travel is suprisingly inexpensive in comparison to the other countries we’ve visited. Your main expenses will be flights and hotels, but depending on time of year, flights for us weren’t bad! And, the hotels are significantly cheaper in Thailand than in the US.

We paid around $6,000 total for both of us on this trip. People always ask if I’m forgetting a 0 when I say that, and I’m not! We stayed for 12 days, and didn’t spare a single expense when it came to food and drink, hotels, experiences, anything. You could definitely spend less if you wanted to! Again, it all depends on where you’re coming from, and what time of year it is!