Multi Centre Thailand and the Lovely Elephants
We stayed in luxury tents with an en suite bathroom and we were surrounded by the trees and the mountains. Our food was prepared every day with fresh ingredients.
The stay also included various activities including canoeing down the Sok River to explore any wildlife that happened to be around, a jungle safari and a day was spent at Cheow Larn Lake where you could kayak, jump in the water, rest and sunbathe on the floating camp. If you wanted, you could stay the night in the floating tents on the lake. This was one of the most tranquil places I have ever visited and was one of the highlights of the holiday.
The staff at the camp were excellent, providing you with refreshments after your day out and I would highly recommend a stay here for two or three days.
As part of our holiday we also stayed in Khao Lak, which was the area devastated by the tsunami. You wouldn’t know it though; the town and hotels are completely re-built, and it was our favourite place to relax. The beaches have nice white sand and they were quiet (in April) with shallow waters.
We stayed in a four-star hotel about 10 minutes’ drive from the resort centre, so it was nice and peaceful, and you could use the hotel shuttle bus or a taxi to get in and out of the centre if you wished. We stayed in a villa within the hotel grounds which was modern and clean. The hotel itself had a great selection of food and drinks and the quality of food was exceptional. On average to eat out at a restaurant the price is about half you would pay in the UK.
They offer different types of massages right on the fringes of the beach and they were approximately £10 each, depending on which type you went for.
We then moved on to Koh Samui where we stayed in the resort of Bo Phut in a four-star beachfront hotel within walking distance of the lively Fisherman’s Village. We stayed in a standalone Deluxe Bungalow which meant we were closer to the restaurant and the beach, so it was an ideal place to be in the grounds and the bungalow was a great size with patio and chairs.
It was lovely to eat breakfast overlooking the beach and even more so of an evening watching the sun set whilst eating dinner sitting on beanbags. More comfortable and relaxing than you would think!
The towels and sunbeds were free for guests in every hotel we stayed in and in Bo Phut, there were beach peddlers who were selling their wares. The quality was very good, so I purchased a few bikinis. They were very polite and in no way were they pushy or rude.
You could get lunch from the boat sellers that pulled up at the water’s edge which was good quality, very tasty and cheaply priced.
Fisherman Village was about a 10-minute walk away which was vibrant with numerous shops, restaurants and bars. We did an excursion kayaking around some national trust areas and upgraded to the speedboat, so the journey wasn’t as long and it was well worth the extra supplement.
Just remember to haggle for goods politely and never pay more than half of the first price offered to you.
We found the people of Thailand to be by far the friendliest people we have come across and are very helpful and can't do enough for you. They certainly made our holiday special and as mentioned, we are going back next year. If you want any more information on this holiday, then please give me a call on 01622 807980.