Christmas in Thailand
We went to Manchester Airport on the afternoon of the 15 December for the overnight Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi connecting onwards to Bangkok and then an Air Asia flight to Phuket. We had chosen to stay in Khao Lak, approximately 90 minutes’ drive from Phuket Airport, so we did have quite a long journey initially, but it was well worth it!
Our first four nights were spent at the JW Marriott Khao Lak where we stayed in a pool access room which allowed direct access from the bedroom into southeast Asia’s longest swimming pool, it is a lovely hotel and we would very happily return! Whilst there, we took an excursion to Khao Sok National Park where we had had a lovely Thai lunch and bamboo rafting through the jungle which was so beautiful and tranquil – all in all, we had an absolutely fantastic day - highly recommended!
On the Monday, we set off for the two-and-a-half-hour car journey to Ao Nang, Krabi where we were to spend the next six nights and Christmas! We had opted to stay right in the heart of Ao Nang in order to be able to wander out to bars and restaurants, as well as having easy access to the boats for visiting the islands, so our hotel the Peace Laguna Resort was ideally located. It was busier here than in Khao Lak, so although we had enjoyed the peace and tranquillity there for a few days, it was nice to now have a bit more going on – especially in the eyes of a 15-year-old shopaholic who learned the art of bartering very quickly!
We spent our days here taking the long-tail boats out to the nearby islands with their stunning beaches and turquoise seas, we visited Railay Beach, Poda Island, Chicken Island and on Christmas Day we took a speedboat excursion to Hong Island – it was all very lovely.
Boxing Day dawned and we headed off to Krabi Airport for our short flight to Bangkok where we spent our last three days at the Royal Orchid Sheraton, situated on the river. Our room had the most fabulous view of the Chao Phraya river and we were fascinated watching the numerous river boats. We knew Bangkok was going to be a very busy city and we were not disappointed – we have never seen so much traffic! There was a great buzz in the city and of course we had to take a ride in a Tuk-Tuk! We visited temples to view the country’s longest Reclining Buddha and the solid gold Golden Buddha, which was very interesting.
We agree with the slogan ‘Amazing Thailand’, it really is a fabulous country with friendly people and we cannot wait to return.