The Land of Smiles

Khao Lak

We started our adventure in Khao Lak, just north of Phuket and whilst July is the beginning of the rainy season in this part of Thailand, we knew that beforehand and didn’t let it deter us! Our aim for this part of the trip was to unwind from our busy lives back home and to enjoy complete relaxation. This we did. Actually the intermittent rain made that a lot easier to do! Whilst my daughter enjoyed swimming in the beautiful pools regardless of the weather, it gave me the opportunity to curl up undercover and immerse myself in a book.

We stayed at the relatively new Bangsak Merlin Resort, about 15 minutes’ drive outside of Khao Lak town, meaning it was lovely and peaceful. The rooms were of an excellent quality, the staff couldn’t do enough for us, and the food was sublime. With three huge swimming pools to choose from, my daughter was in her element! The beachfront location was great, although the sea at that time was too rough for swimming, it didn’t impact our stay at all.

Khao Sok National Park

Onwards to the incredible Elephant Hills in Khao Sok National Park, just an hour or so drive from our previous hotel. Wow! What a place. Accommodation is in the jungle in canvas tents, now I’m not one for camping, but this was something different. Hand carved wooden bed, handmade furniture and an en-suite shower room, all surrounded by virgin jungle. It was magical, lying in bed at night and listening to the sounds of the rainforest, although I wasn’t so pleased with the Black Frog at 1am!

The highlight here is the interaction with the elephants. It is all very ethical, there are no chains, no whips, no mistreatment and the camp has won many awards for its ethical handling of the elephants, its sustainability and support it provides the local communities. These elephants were all worked in the logging industry, until it was outlawed in 1989. Elephants are very expensive to feed and house and as they were all domesticated they couldn’t be returned to the wild, this is why so many ended up on the streets of Bangkok and other cities, begging with their Mahouts or having to give rides, which are harmful to their spines. Today, at Elephant Hills their “work” is to be fed by tourists and to be washed, that’s it. They enjoy life in beautiful surroundings and are well cared for and looked after. My daughter bonded with “Mercy” and it was actually quite emotional watching them, stood face to face, my daughters’ hand on Mercy’s trunk, just looking at each other, almost as if they were connecting on some deeper level.

Depending on how much time you have at Elephant Hills, your trip may include a traditional long boat trip on Cheo Lan Lake. Wow, this was by far the most strikingly beautiful part of Thailand that we saw, it was mesmerising with huge limestone cliffs and islands – it definitely made for some great pictures! Elephant Hills also have a Floating Rainforest Camp here on Lake Cheo Lan, where you can spend the night. We enjoyed the camp for an afternoon – swimming in the turquoise lake, kayaking and then sitting back and soaking in the view with a hot chocolate. Perfect.

Koh Samui

From Elephant Hills it’s just a few hours’ drive and a ferry ride across to Koh Samui, this transfer was included with our stay at Elephant Hills and was very well organised. Travelling just the two of us, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the ferry, but it was very simple to do. The steep ramp up and back down was interesting with two big suitcases but luckily there are staff on hand to help! (Very much appreciated in my case!)

We then had a week in Koh Samui to enjoy some relaxation and beach time. It is touristy, as one would expect, but for what we wanted, it was perfect. Do venture out of the hotel grounds, it’s perfectly safe. I found a great laundrette - £1.50 per kg to be washed, dried and ironed! Perfect! There are also some great places to get a foot massage – this became part of our daily routine, and at approx. £7 for both of us, I couldn’t say no - or try a Thai Massage, not for the faint hearted! I did find travelling just my daughter and I that I wasn’t completely comfortable exploring as the evening progressed, so we tended to be back in the hotel grounds by 8pm.

A great day trip from Koh Samui is to Angthong Marine Park, my daughter and I both love the ocean, and I used to do a lot of scuba diving, many moons ago now! To be able to snorkel over a coral reef holding hands with my daughter, was for me, the highlight of our trip. The marine life was abundant, coral in good health and the guide very knowledgeable. We spent the afternoon on an idyllic island, snorkelling, watching the wild monkeys and enjoying a fab Thai lunch buffet.

Our hotel, Centara Grand Beach Hotel was perfect for us – located right on Chaweng Beach, we had the best of both worlds – the gorgeous beach, lots to do on our doorstep and then a beautiful pool area to relax in too. I’d highly recommend.

Bangkok

What a shock to the system! A complete sensory overload, very much like the first time I visited Marrakech. It is busy. Some parts are touristy. The cultural sites were amazing though, and the food divine. We pre-booked a private guide for the day, and I am so pleased we did. Nuna was incredible – she arranged the perfect day for us, including trips to the temples, royal palace and a longtail boat trip along the canals. We were up early to try and watch the Buddhist Monks chanting and were rewarded instead with an ordination that was taking place, it was incredible to sit there with the family and friends marking this great honour, and we cherish having been there to witness part of the ceremony. The architecture of attention to detail of all the sites was quite astounding, so many hours of labour having gone into creating these places of worship and remembrance.

We finished off our Thai adventure with a table on the Apsara Dinner Cruise, run by The Banyan Tree Hotel. The cruise takes place aboard a traditional Thai wooden boat, with Thai food and music. The service was unbeatable, and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.