A guide to Thailand
In late October 2017, I traveled to Thailand on a two week holiday with my best friend. We did an 8 Day Contiki and also stayed at two separate hotels before and after the tour. I loved every minute of it and would go back in a heartbeat, it truly is was paradise and we were so blessed with amazing weather at that time of the year.
Currency: Thai Baht
Religion: Buddhism
Capital: Bangkok
Check out my breakdown on Transport, Hotels, Must Do’s and My Top 5 Recommendations.
TRANSPORT:
From Perth, Australia we flew to Kuala Lumpur and then into Phuket International Airport. We exchanged our money at the Perth airport before getting to Phuket, to make the process time through the airport a bit quicker.
One thing I didn’t realize was how far the airport was from Patong Beach and surrounding areas. You are looking about an hour taxi ride from the airport. Unless you have arranged transport prior, you can get a taxi at a fixed rate.
When you are out and about the easiest way to get around would be Tuk-Tuks (a three-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi)
HOTELS:
The Yama Hotel Phuket
TIP: If you want to see the Big Buddha (Which I highly recommend) this hotel is super close and has views of the Buddha from the pool area as its tucked away amongst the jungle on a hill
Sawaddi Patong Resort Hotel
TIP: There are no lifts and 3 levels so if you are on the top level (We were) then you will have to carry your bag up the stairs. It’s also walking distance to Bangla Road (15min walk)
Phi Phi Bayview Resort
TIP: These amazing villas are located at the top of a hill and it’s quite a steep walk up so keep that in mind - but well worth it. We had porters take out bags up to our villas.
Aonang Cliff Beach Resort
TIP: The hotel is super close to the beach and all the markets (Perfect for clothes and quality fake designer handbags etc)
Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay
TIP: This hotel is a little bit out of the way in regard to shopping etc, however its right across the road to Iguana Beach Club. The hotel also provides free shuttles into Patong Beach a couple of times a day in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Bus with air-conditioning. I highly recommend this hotel for relaxing and enjoying the absolute luxury it provides.
CONTIKI: Thai Island Hopper West
We chose to do a Contiki purely because it went to all the places we had our hearts set on and it was all organized and we didn’t have to worry about anything plus we met some incredible people and got to experience some amazing things. They organized all the activities which I would never have thought to do like rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking and swimming on private islands.
MUST DO’s:
Big Buddha Phuket
A 45metre tall white marble statue, is visible from anywhere in the southern part of Phuket
Bangla Road
The road is closed to vehicles and is a 400metre festival of bars, neon lights, loud music, cheap beer and ping pong shows. It is a lively place to walk around and is fun night out.
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
This sanctuary is the most ethical sanctuary in Phuket. We got to interact with the elephants in their own home and was able to feed them by hand, give them a mud bath and shower them. We were picked up from our hotel and driven to the sanctuary, given lunch and then dropped back to the hotel once we were finished. They care about the elephants and the money you pay is primarily used for elephant rescue, food, veterinary care, infrastructure and land so they can constantly be growing and expanding the capacity of the Sanctuary and receiving more elephants.
Phi Phi Islands - Viewpoint
To get to the viewpoint you have a fair walk in distance as well as the numerous amounts of stairs to climb but the hike is well worth the view and there are cafes etc at the halfway point as well as the top.
Maya Bay, Snorkeling at Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave & Monkey Beach
We got a long tail boat for the day that took us to Maya Bay while we got out had a swim and explored for about 45 mins then they took us to the other side of the island to Pileh Lagoon where we got to snorkel (which they provided). On the way back to our hotel's beach we went past the Viking Cave and stopped off at Monkey Beach for about 15 mins. This was a cheap way to see the islands, we had 6 people in the boat and we all chipped in to pay.
James Bond Island
It was chosen as one of the locations for the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (We got a private boat that took us to James Bond Island, Kayaking and also to a private island to swim and sunbath (this was pretty special)
Railay Beach
Rock Climbing, Swimming/Amazing Beach & Abseiling from a cave
Blue Dragon Ladyboy Cabaret Show
This was a great way of getting a taste of the Thailand culture of ladyboys and their history. Probably one of the more conservative shows available and incredible show of costumes and makeup.
Iguana Beach Club
This hidden away beach club is absolutely divine and would recommend checking it out.
My Top 5
1. Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay
2. Snorkeling at Pileh Lagoon
3. Abseiling from a Cave at Railey Beach
4. Elephant Sanctuary
5. Big Buddha Phuket
Originally posted: https://www.memyselfande.com/travelblog/my-exact-guide-to-thailand
