Our First Trip to Thailand at Christmas
Our very first adventure to Thailand for Christmas 2015.
Bangkok
It’s very easy to get taxis from the airport in Bangkok it cost us 600 THB to the Sukhumvit area and a small fee for tolls on the way. Arrived to a very warm welcome at the Park Plaza Sukhumvit and we freshened up and went straight out to explore as we only had 3 days in Bangkok. We headed for some bright lights round the corner to our hotel only to realise it was the red light district called ‘Soi Cowboy’ where parts of the film the Hangover 2 were filmed. It wasn't too seedy as It had a carnival feel to it with bars lining the street on both sides, its pretty easy going and you are left alone to enjoy a beer or a cocktail and just people watch in one of the many bars with music or live bands.
Our hotel which was in the Sukhumvit area which was great as only 5 mins walk from the sky train BTS which is cheap and efficient. We headed straight there on the first morning to go to central pier. You can hop on and off the river boats to explore the city. Don’t get the yellow line though as it’s for commuters and very crowded, we went on blue tourist line (150 THB each) with map and guidebook. We stopped at temples, the Grand Palace etc. Tried a bit of street food on our travels and you can get all sorts of fruits, meats and insects (Yuk) I didn’t try those.
There are night markets and shopping galore if you want bargains in Bangkok and don’t forget to barter, they won’t be offended they expect it, it’s all part of the fun.
We did a dinner cruise from the Banyan tree hotel called Apsara and it was about £45pp but really great food and service and you get to see the lit up city from the river. If you meet at the hotel there is a sky bar at the top, drinks are expensive but it’s worth it for the view and it has a restaurant and nightclub up there too. Taxis can be a bit of a nightmare in Bangkok at busy times so sky train is easier!
Loved Bangkok for its craziness but I can see it’s not for everyone I think it’s a love or hate place but you have to try it and see.
Phuket - We went on to Phuket for the next part of our trip. We took a taxi from the airport which was about 1000 THB (45 minutes) to the Centara Karon Beach. I would suggest upgrading your room at this resort as we had a superior to begin with but we upgraded as it was very basic and tired. We ended up with the cabana room which has a walled garden with plunge pool. Very friendly staff at the hotel and a nice resort, very central to all the bars and restaurants. Some great restaurants nearby and our favourite was Bamboo. There are a lot of bars and some of them a bit seedy but no one bothers you – there are some with live music or just some quieter café bars if you prefer those. There are a range of different restaurants along the strip serving all types of food.
The hotel has a couple of restaurants and had a nice bar, 2 main pools with pool bars and a kid’s pool with slides. The beach was about 5 mins walk. Shops and markets are nearby if you fancy bartering for a bargain.
We did the Phi Phi island day trip which was great we went to Bamboo island , then Phi Phi island and had lunch , then we stopped in the lagoon for a snorkel which was amazing the sea was beautiful (see picture). We also saw a few monkeys as we stopped by Monkey Island. Then we went to Maya Bay where 'The Beach ' was filmed with Leonardo. Di Caprio it was a really great day. We took the speedboat option as we didn’t want to take the long boat.
We also went on a scuba diving trip from a local dive school in Karon Beach to Phi Phi island and had a great days diving it was like an aquarium with all the marine life and we enjoyed 3 dives that day In total.
Khao Lak - The next part of our journey was to Khao Lak which was about 2 hours by road and cost us 3500 THB for a taxi between hotels.
The Kantary Beach we chose as in our winter months its adult only so was perfect for us. It is a lovely resort on a beautiful long beach you could walk right along the bay (see picture 2).
There is a shuttle into town and back every hour or so throughout the day until about 9pm it’s about $2 pp each way it’s a 10 minute journey or a taxi about $10 each way. There are 2 parts of Khao Lak from the hotel you will reach the market area first (Bang Niang) with the market which sells just about everything you can think of and there are lots of shops, restaurants and bars in the area which also has roads leading to Bang Niang beach. A further 2 miles up the road is Bang La with many restaurants and a great choice of bars. Khao Lak has some great bars with live music and many have happy hour with a great range of cocktails for THB 100 (£2).
There are some great diving and snorkelling opportunities from Khao Lak which is why we went there as you can visit Similian and Surin islands but my husband Dean got an ear infection so we couldn't’t do any further dives.
Did the elephant trip washed them, fed them and rode on them (but didn’t enjoy that part to be honest) but the bathing and feeding was great. Visited a waterfall on the way back to the hotel.
We had a gala dinner on Christmas Eve at the hotel and they really made an effort with food and entertainment. We celebrated Christmas day with a cocktail on the beautiful beach and swimming in the amazing turquoise water, what more could you ask for ?
Great hotel, lovely breakfast, polite friendly and helpful staff especially Darren.
Had an amazing time and would definitely recommend Thailand and have booked many people and its really helped me have a better understanding of how to sell it in the future when putting itineraries together.
Thailand is AMAZING, we loved it and we will be going back at some stage (in the not too near future I hope). Thanks for reading.
The Thai people are so friendly and welcoming Sawadee – Ka (goodbye)