Thailand... One of the most magical places we have ever travelled to! Immerse yourself in the culture, eat local street food and get to know the locals. Everyone is so friendly and appreciative of tourism that you really see and learn a whole different way of living from what you are used to! Every place we visited was different to the last and we had some amazing experiences in each place. We can’t wait to do a deep dive into Thailand in the course of this blog and share everything we learnt while travelling around from the best places we stayed in, how to get to each place and to get around and the best activities we got up to!

Phuket -

Phuket was the first place we landed in Thailand back in January 2022 and we stayed for 7 nights due to Covid regulations however, we would recommend around 4 nights here! There is a lot to do and it's easy to move around the whole island too!

How to get there - We arrived in Phuket as our first stop, we flew directly into their International however you can do internal domestic flights from other airports in Thailand and via boats daily from nearby islands too!

Where to stay - We visited Phuket in January 2022 due to COVID-19 regulations we had to stay in an approved hotel for 7 nights. We stayed in the Sunset Beach Resort and it was perfect and in a good location to be close to the busyness of Phuket but quieter on a nighttime!

What to do -

• Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is just AMAZING! Just ensure that the “sanctuary” you plan to visit is ethical and that they do not offer you an elephant riding experience.
• Day boat trip to Banana Beach/Coral Island.
• Patong Beach & Nightlife.
• Catch Beach Club.
• White Buddha.
• Jungle Trek Freedom Beach.

How to get around - Tuk Tuks! These are popular throughout Thailand and a great mode of transport. Ensure you barter a rate and confirm this before getting in. We even hired one for the day with the driver to take us around the island!

Phi Phi Island -

Phi Phi Island… Where to even begin, we all absolutely fell in love with this island! We only unfortunately got to stay here for a couple of nights! But we could have easily stayed for longer as it was just so beautiful.

How to get there - This was our second stop after Phuket, we caught a ferry over which only took about 1 and a half hours!

Where to stay - We stayed at the Coco Bella Hotel and it was perfect and in a good location to be close to the beach, restaurants and bars.

What to do -

• Full day boat trip (around 9 hours)– Bamboo Island, Maya Beach, Monkey Beach, snorkelling, nighttime plankton swim
• Sunrise trek to Phi Phi Viewpoint 1,2 & 3 (3 Was the best view)
• Visit Freedom Bar on the beachfront for great cocktails & food

How to get around - The only way around on this island is a Push Bike or walking! There is no form of transport as the island is so small! You can catch long tailboats to go on day trips around the island and to other islands close by.

Koh Lanta Island - 

How to get there - We caught a ferry over from Phi Phi Island to Koh Lanta which only took 40 minutes.

Where to stay - We stayed at the Sabai Dee Mansion & Hotel. The location was perfect and had lots of restaurants and bars nearby. The owners couldn’t do enough for us and were so lovely and welcoming, also the rooms were very clean and spacious.

What to do -

• Lanta Thai Cookery School
• Kayaking, Snorkelling, Suba Diving
• Visit Koh Lanta Old Town, which was so beautiful.
• Koh Lanta National Park, where there was a jungle trek to get to a waterfall

How to get around - We found hiring Mopeds was the best way to explore the islands, however, the roads are very spaces so you would be fine with hiring a car as well.

Railay Beach -

The location of Railay Beach is very unique as it’s bordered by jungle and a limestone rock landscape, which is not connected with any main road or path with the mainland.

How to get there - Getting here is only possible by sea. You can catch a long tail boat from Ap Nang Beach or Krabi Town, which runs serval times a day.

Where to stay - Unfortunately we didn’t stay overnight here we only did a day trip. However, Hotel Rayavadee is meant to be amazing and it has a pool which is directly on the main beach.

What to do -

• Rock Climbing.
• Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Snorkelling, Suba Diving. 
• Phra Nang Cave.
• Railay Viewpoint.

How to get around - As it is surrounded by dense jungle and high cliffs the only way around is by walking and getting longtail boats to the different beaches.

Khao Sok National Park - 

Khao Sok National Park in Southern Thailand is a breathtaking place. It is covered by the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world, huge limestone mountains shooting straight up in the air, deep valleys, lakes, caves, wild animals and much more.

How to get there - Khao Sok is two hours from Surat Thani and Krabi or about 3 hours from Phuket with many local buses, minivans, or even taxis. There are no train connections to Khao Sok National Park. The closest airport to Khao Sok National Park is the Surat Thani International Airport.

Where to stay - We stayed in Khao Sok Palmview Resort, which I would highly recommend. It offers a peaceful retreat in charming wooden cottages. They have private balconies and offer massage services, a restaurant and a variety of outdoor activities. The family that owned the resort were so welcoming and couldn’t be more helpful!

What to do -

• Cave Trekking (Pakarang Cave - Coral Cave)
• Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Snorkelling
• Khao Sok ATV adventure
• Day tour on a long tail boat visiting the Khao Sok Cheow Lan Lake
• Stay in the floating bungalows

How to get around - The best way to get around is by mini busses or taxi! Or take long tail boats.

Koh Samui - 

Koh Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, lies in the Gulf of Thailand off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus. It's known for its palm-fringed beaches, coconut groves and dense, mountainous rainforest, plus luxury resorts and posh spas. The landmark 12m-tall golden Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple is located on a tiny island connected to Ko Samui by a causeway.

How to get there - We got a ferry from Donsak Pier Surat Thani to Koh Samui which took around 1 hour and 45 minutes. This can vary depending on what pier you got to in Koh Samui. Koh Samui also has its own airport (know as one of the worlds most beautiful and best designed airports in the world).

Where to stay - We treated ourself and stayed in Villa La Moderne which was breathtaking. Due to the time we was travelling when everything was just opening up and they was letting visitors back into the country after Covid the prices of accommodation was really reasonable, hence why we stayed in this villa.

What to do -

• Visit the overlap Stone
• Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Snorkelling
• The landmark 12m-tall golden Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple
• Na Muang Waterfall
• Fisherman’s Village
• Guran Yu Koh Samui Shrine

How to get around - The best way to get around is by a car or mopeds. There are many taxi services about as well!

Koh Pha Ngan -

Koh Pha Ngan is an island in the southeast of Thailand which is renowned for its monthly Full Moon Party. This is a night long celebration is tied to the Lunar calendar and is set on sunset beach.  

How to get there - We got a ferry from Koh Samui depending on which option you take these ferries range from a 30–50-minute trip! Faster ferries cost slightly more but still reasonable in price. If you choose to get a ferry from mainland (Donsak Pier) this will take aprox. 2.5 hours. You can also fly from Koh Samui airport too!

Where to stay - We stayed in a hostel called Nomad House. We were lucky as this was our first experience of a hostel in Thailand and the family running this at the time were so welcoming and even did a hostel dinner for everyone staying too. There was a lot of communal space with activities and games provided too. We advise staying in a hostel for full moon party as this is a great way to meet people prior to the party and really give you a night to remember! 

What to do -

• As pictured in some of the photos on this post the Full Moon Party is a must do when in Thailand so ensure you plan your trip around the date in which the next party is! 
• Amsterdam Bar – a beautiful bar to watch the sunset, eat, drink and see what else they have to offer too 
• Yang Na Yai Tree – towering 54m into the skys! 
• Nam Tok Phaeng National Park 
• Indoor food markets 

How to get around - We use Tuktuks to get to and from the full moon party and then hired mo peds to get around the island and sight see!

Koh Tao -

Koh Tao is our must do in Thailand! One of our favourite places ever and one place we kept extending our stay too!

How to get there - We got a ferry from Koh Samui taking around 1-2 hours and there are ferries from Koh Pha Ngan and from Koh Samui around 2-3 hours! You can also fly from Koh Samui and mainland Thailand too!

Where to stay - We had arranged our accommodation through our diving company where we completed our open water scuba diving course and then moved to various accommodations as we kept extending our stay!

What to do - Scuba diving, If you’ve researched Koh Tao before you will know that it’s renowned for diving experiences and we can honestly say that this is one of our favourite experiences ever! We completed our 3 day open water course with DPM diving and have never felt so safe, reassured and calm! The sea life and marine is out of this world and it’s also one of the cheapest places in the world to learn to scuba dive!

• Koh Nang Yuan is an amazing view point and bay to visit.
• The nightlife along the beach front was a total vibe and lively too
• The reggae bar was set back on the island and you might need to ask locals how to find it because was a great place to relax!

How to get around - There was very limited taxis on the island due to it being so small, we hired mo peds to get around and explore but depending on where you stay a lot is in walking distance too!

Bangkok -

Bangkok the city which never sleeps and has so much to do!

How to get there - We flew to Bangkok from Koh Samui Airport as it was very cheap at the time and it was only a 1 hour an 20 minute flight. However the cheapest way to get from Koh Samui to Bangkok is to bus and ferry from Koh Samui Nathon Pier which takes 14h 5m.

Where to stay - We stayed in The Mulberry Hotel Bangkok which is on Khaosan Road. This hotel was in the perfect location as there was many bars and restaurants around, however the only downfall was that if you got a room at the front of the hotel the music from the bars went on till late and was very loud!

What to do -

• floating markers
• Rooftop bar
• Kho san road
• China town
• Palace temples

How to get around - We used TukTuks as our main form of transport. However you could hire mopeds or use local taxis/ busses to get around.