Songs like Murray Head’s One Night In Bangkok and movies like The Hangover Part 2 showcase Bangkok as a crazy fun city that you don’t need to spend too much time in (because it could get you in trouble). So the perfect place to honeymoon, right? Next stop on our six-week honeymoon around the world is Bangkok! If you missed our other Thailand posts, click here for Chiang Mai Part 1 and Part 2 and Phuket Part 1 and Part 2. Bangkok is an enjoyable city full of culture and nightlife but small enough that you can experience most of what it has to offer in a short duration of time. In this post, we’ll be covering transportation, hotel, temples, and nighttime activities.

Day 1

We were flying domestic from Phuket Thailand to Bangkok Thailand and used Thai Air. The best part of the flight was the meal surprisingly. They served these hot-pocket style margherita calzones that were so tasty. For an hour-and-twenty-five-minute flight, we were surprised they fed us anything. Flights within Thailand are so cheap too! We only paid $37 USD per person. For that price, it’s absolutely worth it to see several cities, not to mention that it may be cheaper flying internationally out of Bangkok because it’s a larger airport hub than some other big cities in Thailand. Adding a few days’ stay in Bangkok may save you some dough in the long run on flights alone.

After the flight landed at 3:30pm, we took a train to our hotel. As always, it’s important to us that our hotel is close to public transit so we can avoid taxis. We booked the Hotel Solo Sukhumvit 2, which was walking distance from the train and sported a modern lobby and a spacious room.

• Although we were near transit, in hindsight, the biggest downfall was that we were too far from the attractions that we wanted to see. We had selected a hotel that was close to a train station, but if we had selected a hotel that was closer to the temples, then we wouldn’t have needed to go on trains at all. Our train rides didn’t take that long, but it was extra travel time that took away from us enjoying the city. So our major advice for Bangkok (or any city you stay in for about 48 hours) would be to stay in walking distance from your attractions, if affordable.

• The second downfall is that our hotel included a nice rooftop pool and we didn’t even have time to go in it. We only searched for hotels with pools, so perhaps there would have been more availability, cheaper rates, or options closer to the temples had we not filtered by that amenity. If you are visiting a city for a brief stay, just skip the extra search filters. You’ll hardly spend much time in the hotel anyway.

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By the time we checked in, unpacked, and got ready for the night, it was already starting to sunset. I had learned of a riverside market called Asiatique The Riverfront that had dining, shopping, and some rides. A night market sounded like the perfect activity for our first night. We took public transportation there, which included two above-ground trains followed by a brief ferry ride. The total trip was about 50 minutes. The trains seemed older than the trains in China and Hong Kong, but it was actually really nice arriving by ferry over to the attraction, because the route was more scenic than if we took a taxi.

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We were ready for dinner, so we went straight to the BKK Food Fest area. There were many vendors with booths of varying options. We first walked around to see the options and create a game-plan, then we got to work ordering and eating our small bites. We ate so many different things! Lots of little deep-fried sea foods, so hubby was happy, but there were all sorts of choices. The food was tasty, we left full, and we did not get food poisoning. Hubby had just recovered from a bad bout of food poisoning from Phuket, so we were super grateful that the newly introduced food didn’t bring the illness back. There there were some adventurous scorpion and insect options too, though we didn’t partake.

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After we ate, we walked around the rides area that included bumper cars, a ferris wheel, a carousel, and other smaller amusement rides. Then we headed indoors to check out the shopping. There are some storefront options of chain stores, and then there are booths like a real night market. They sold all types of goods, so we picked up some souvenirs as we walked around.

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We finished shopping and decided to go back the exact way we arrived. Since Asiatique was soon closing, there was a long line for the ferry to leave. We figured we’d wait so we could experience the river at night. It moved pretty fast, and soon enough we were on the two trains and then walking to our hotel. It was close to midnight when we arrived back and we were waking for an early start, so we went straight to bed.

Day 2

Before our trip, I had done a lot of research on what there is to do in Bangkok. I read about the several main temples and attractions that, if timed out perfectly, you could see all in one day. So my mission became creating the most perfect one-day Bangkok temple itinerary!

Start your day with an early wakeup, and either eat breakfast at your hotel or on your walk to the attractions.

8:15am-10:30am:

The first stop will be the Grand Palace which opens at 8:30am daily. I recommend you arrive 15 minutes early to get in the queue to purchase tickets, which are free of charge for Thai natives and ฿500 TB ($16.30 USD) for foreigners. These tickets provide access to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, and Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles.

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The site was very busy in the morning. Lots of tourists like ourselves trying to start their morning with the Grand Palace. But don’t let that scare you away though. I’m sure it’s just as busy all day long, because it was definitely worth the stop. The site is massive. There are many buildings and beautifully manicured garden areas to explore and take photos of. We first stopped at the Emerald Buddha, which is a large meditating Buddha made from a solid piece of green jade, clothed in gold and diamonds. This attraction was the most crowded. We took our shoes off, walked in, saw the buddha, and then exited. It was very unique from the rest of the buddha figures we had seen in Thailand though. Had it not been so crowded inside, we may have spent more time looking around.

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Just after seeing the Emerald Buddha, it started to downpour, and the rain did not let up for a short while. We took refuge in one of the open structures and waited out the storm. The storm definitely helped to lessen the crowded morning rush, because after it stopped there were so many less people on site. We continued to walk around and explore the grounds. The Grand Palace that was once lived in by kings has fantastic architecture and garden courtyards. We didn’t go inside any of the Palace buildings, but it was still neat seeing them up close.

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Next stop was the Queen’s Textile museum which showcased many outfits Queen Sirikit had worn, with photos of her at outings wearing them. I loved seeing all the vintage outfits, hats, and bags. While we were visiting, the Textile Museum had a special exhibit celebrating the 200-year-old friendship between the U.S. and Thailand. We hadn’t known what the exhibit was when we entered the museum, but it was cool we got to experience something so relatable! Not sure if they do this for all exhibits, but don’t miss the interactive area on the first floor left side. If all exhibits are as wonderfully done as the one we experienced, this museum is a must-see! It’s totally indoors and a nice air-conditioned break from the heat. We spent around an hour in the museum alone, but in total you could spend two to three hours at the Grand Palace. Had we not been rained out, we probably would have spent more time exploring the grounds.

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10:30am-10:47am:

Next stop was to the Wat Pho Temple which was a 17-minute walk from the Grand Palace.

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10:47am-12:50pm:

Wat Pho Temple or Temple of the Reclining Buddha opens daily at 8:00am. Upon arrival, you will wait at a ticket booth to purchase your ฿100 TB ($3.26 USD) ticket, then you are allowed entry into the large property. We first got in the queue for the large golden reclining Buddha. This was my favorite temple of the day, because the Buddha was so large: 160 feet long to be exact! It made for some really great photos. The line snaked us through the building, and along the way you had many opportunities to snag some sweet pics of every angle of the structure. Since you were always walking along the railing, you had unobstructed views for photos. The line brings you down the front then up the back of the long Buddha body.

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Although the Reclining Buddha is probably what brings most people to this property, there is so much more to see. We walked around for another good bit of time taking pictures. There were other buildings, statues sprinkled throughout the gardens, and sweet sleepy kitty-cats everywhere (photos at the end)! We spent almost two hours at the property.

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12:50pm-1:20pm:

Next, we walked right across the street about a minute’s walk to a restaurant called the Tha Tian Store City Lodge. It was a small place but was busy, so we figured they must have some good food. We found the food to be tasty and the service to be good and fast. We didn’t want to spend too much time at lunch, so it perfectly worked into our schedule. Looking at this restaurant’s reviews on Google, I see now that it has mixed reviews. We had a fine time, but if you wanted to check out other options, that whole street is lined with food options. Don’t veer too far, because the ferry is close by and also our next mode of transportation. I’ve read good things about these other options: Krisa Coffee Stop, Krua Khun Kung, and Old Town Café.

1:20pm-1:30pm:

This next stretch of time was spent walking from the restaurant down a side street to the ferry, purchasing our ฿4.00 TB ($0.13 USD) ticket, waiting for the boat, boarding, and riding directly across the Chao Phraya River to the next temple. With no waits, this trip is 10 minutes. I have some more notes in the transportation section below to help you speed up the process of finding the ferry.

1:30pm-2:30pm:

Our next stop was to the Wat Arun Temple or Temple of the Dawn, which opens daily at 8:30am. When you get off the ferry, you will need to purchase a ticket to enter the grounds for ฿50 TB ($1.63 USD). The way it was built in a tall, towering structure reminded me of the pyramids from Egypt. Unlike some of the other colorful Thai temples we had seen, Wat Arun from a distance looked very white, but as you got closer you began to realize the backdrop of the temple is white with a very intricate pattern of red, blue, green, and yellow mosaic tiles. I found this temple exterior to be the most beautiful. We spent about an hour walking around the grounds.

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2:30pm-3:15pm:

When we left Wat Arun, we took a ferry back across the river to where we had started, then we transferred to a different ferry line that would take us farther south toward our next destination. There were several stops along the way, so the ride took a little bit of time, but I’ll never complain about a nearly free boat ride!

3:15pm-7:00pm:

Next, we headed to the River City Shopping Complex, which is a huge mall that specializes in antiques. We weren’t really in the market for antiques, but our next activity was a dinner cruise that left from the waterfront of this shopping center, so we decided to head there a little early and hang out in the mall. We explored some of the stores which really did sell all types of antique items, and then we stopped at their pharmacy to pick up some essentials we had been running low on.

7:00pm-7:30pm:

Then we were ready to cap off the night with a Princess dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River. They suggested you arrive 30 minutes early for the 7:30pm departure. We walked back downstairs pier side, and it was a sea of people! Apparently, our Princess dinner cruise wasn’t the only company leaving from this pier. It took us a few minutes to maneuver through the crowd and find our actual boat. There were these ornately dressed, overly-pleasant hosts that greeted us. They asked for our ticket and in exchange they provided us with a purple orchid and greenery corsage pin and an orange sticker. Each boat company did the same with a different color flower and sticker. Later as they would check everyone in, this would help make it easy to board: wrong flower and sticker, wrong boat! Next, the host took a picture of us. Then, we were welcomed to take a seat and wait for boarding.

7:30pm-9:30pm:

The website states that “The River Star Princess Cruise will take you to enjoy the beautiful night scenery on both sides of the Chao Praya River in our cruise seat. The captain of River Star Princess Cruise will be leading the boat up to Rama 8 Bridge and then, you will have an unique opportunity to get some snapshots of two most wonderful night spots in Bangkok, Wat Arun The Temple of Dawn and the Grand Palace & Wat Pra Kaew -The Temple of Emerald Buddha. Time for your dinner under the candle light with “Live Music” in a romantic atmosphere. Delight the Thai & International cuisine in a superb buffet. Enjoy the Thai classical dancing performance and disco on the cruise.”

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I recommend you arrive early so you can guarantee a seat right on the water. Hubby and I were seated at a table with other people, but we arrived first, so we sat across from each other and took the river seats. This allowed us to get unobstructed photos without heads or the boat in them. For ฿1,400 TB ($45.66 USD), everything was pretty much included. We had drinks, a huge yummy international buffet spread, live entertainment, and the cruise itself, which allowed us to see all the temples we saw during the day all lit up at night and a great vantage point for photos. We really enjoyed ourselves. While we were eating dessert, the host delivered our framed photo in a cute red frame. While we were dining, they must have printed them and got them all ready as included souvenirs. This was very unexpected and a nice touch to end the evening.

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9:30pm-10:30pm:

The only disadvantage of the cruise was waiting for a taxi to get back to our hotel. As you can imagine, all the cruises arrived back at the same time, so it was another madhouse on the pier. The taxi stand was an absolute wreck! It took us forever to find our car (hailed via a Thai version of Uber or Lyft) and leave. If I could do this over again, I’d either take a ferry back toward Wat Pho Temple or walk several blocks away from the mall to call a taxi on the street.

By the time our taxi found us, we were exhausted, and just wanting to go back to the hotel to crash. The ride back wasn’t too bad once we were in the car. In hindsight, this was our only night to go and enjoy the rooftop pool, but we were exhausted and just wanted to crash. Walking temples all day and eating a big meal will have that effect on you.

Alternatives for the Itinerary:

• There is definitely a chunk of time between our temples and the dinner cruise—however, you really can’t plan down to the minute because you’ll want to have enough time to walk through each temple property without being rushed. You may take more or less time than we did. So leave some wiggle room and maybe have a backup activity to fill the gap and maximize time if your temples finish fast.

• To fill the gap, you could add an activity such as a longer nice sit-down lunch, a short Thai cooking class, a massage parlor, the National Gallery Bangkok, or a Jim Thompson House tour.

• Our hotel was too far to go there and back between temples and the dinner cruise. It would have been nice to get all dolled up for dinner. Perhaps if you select a hotel closer to the attractions, you can run back, relax poolside, or take a honeymoon siesta, then get freshened up before you head out.

• Even though you may think 8:30am is too early to be at the first temple, and if you have room you can shift everything later, DON’T! It’s literally so hot, you guys – SO HOT IN THAILAND. The earlier in the morning you go, the cooler it will be. We arrived at the shopping mall at the peak of heat for the day, and the air conditioning was welcome.

Day 3

We woke up and packed up the room. The end of Bangkok was quickly approaching. The next stop on our honeymoon was to a city called Sanya, located on the island of Hainan in China. Due to us flying international, we wanted to be at the airport three hours in advance. Our flight departed at 4:00pm, so we arrived by 1:00pm.

Transportation Options

• The Bangkok Skytrain (known as the BTS) and the Bangkok Subway (known as the MRT) are the two most convenient ways to travel around Bangkok. Trains were good, but in my opinion it’s not a large system with enough lines. In comparison, the BTS and MRT in Bangkok only jointly have 5 lines, whereas Beijing and New York City have 20+ lines.

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• Ferries were also a great option if traveling along the riverfront. They make multiple stops along the way, so it’s not that quick, but it was nice being on the water. The trickiest thing about the ferry is finding some of the entrance booths to purchase tickets and get on. It’s not as commercialized as you would think. There is not a lot of signage, and some of them sort of look like you are entering a tin shopping or food hut (like a night market booth), not a ferry terminal. We always pre-download maps of the cities we are visiting, so we used Google maps (which was surprisingly reliable and accurate!) to help us find the exact locations of the entrances. We took ferries to get to Asiatique and our dinner cruise.

• Taxis are expensive, but tuk-tuks are even more expensive. There is an Uber/Lyft-like app you can download called Grab. For us, it said “five minutes until pick up” but that easily turned into a 30-minute wait. Maybe it doesn’t take traffic into consideration? if you don’t mind waiting, the Grab app is the cheapest kind of car transit. I recommend you download it before your travels.

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• Walking in May just wasn’t an option for us. We tried to walk where we could, but it was so hot. If you visit Bangkok at a cooler time of year, then stay as close to your attractions as possible and walk. It will save you money as well as time waiting for transportation.

Pro Tips:

• Women must cover up shoulders and knees while visiting sacred temples. It was so hot in May that I decided to wear a sleeveless, below-the-knee dress and then brought a t-shirt along with us that I threw on whenever we were going inside a temple. I just couldn’t bear the heat, being so covered the entire day, so adding the t-shirt layer worked perfectly.

• Sticky mango rice is life. We didn’t eat it nearly enough times in Thailand, and you can hardly find it of the same quality back in America; when you find it, it tastes totally different. I don’t even eat coconut, but I LOVED this dish.

• To avoid illness, don’t drink the tap water in Thailand. Only take ice when it has the hole in the center. This is a sign that it may have been processed and purified. If you have access to airport lounges, stock up on a few water bottles that will tide you over until you can purchase bottles at a convenience store.

• The largest market in the world, called Chatuchak Weekend Market, exists in Bangkok, but it’s only open on weekends. We missed it since we visited on a Thursday and Friday and didn’t have a full weekend day to explore. If you visit on a weekend, then maybe add in a day just for shopping and exploring this area of town.

• Bangkok is also known for having fun full-moon rooftop parties. Unfortunately, we weren’t visiting during a full moon, but if you are then definitely look into if your hotel or a local bar is having a party you can attend.

• Be cautious if wanting to purchase Buddha memorabilia. You will see it sold everywhere you turn, but Buddha is a sacred symbol and there are fines or jail time if you are seen to be disgracing the symbol or not following the strict exportation of Buddha rules.

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Bangkok is a great stopover if you are headed to a destination in Asia and want to spend a few days in an additional city. We were able to experience multiple iconic temples, enjoy an exhibit on Thailand and American friendship, and have two nights out on the town. Although short-lived, we enjoyed our jam-packed 48 hours in Bangkok.

…Ending on some temple animals for your viewing pleasure…

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Phuket is a true paradise. If I had to pick one destination in the world that I have already visited that I would love to go back to, it’s Phuket. Some of my favorite honeymoon memories are from this city. In these two posts, we’ll cover the awesome beachfront resort we stayed at, Patong Beach and shopping area, and a snorkeling excursion to the most gorgeous beach I have ever seen.

Travel and Accommodations

We flew domestic from Chiang Mai, Thailand, to Phuket International Airport. We knew we’d be hiring a taxi to transport us from the airport to the hotel, so, initially, proximity was important to us. But then we started investigating Phuket and realized proximity to the airport isn’t realistic. Just south of the airport is a large park space. Then the west coast of Phuket is scallop-shaped down the coast, with a beach in each scallop and hotels along each beachfront. We found that hotels farther north and closer to the airport were expensive brand-name resorts or small luxury boutique hotels that were more expensive and included less of the amenities we were looking for. So we opened our minds to taking upwards of an hour taxi ride in order to find the perfect hotel.

Picking a beachfront resort was the most important thing to me. I wasn’t going to visit a beach town and cheap out and stay a few rows back at a hotel farther inland from the beach. That makes literally no sense to me. If I was going to the beach, I was going to wake up and see the view, and sit at my hotel with my feet in the sand. I was willing to pay. We wanted to stay on the west coast of Thailand to be on the open sea, as opposed to the bay side. As Floridians, we know the difference between east-coast Atlantic Ocean water versus west-coast Gulf of Mexico water. Both are nice, but open ocean water is our preference because it is usually clearer and not brackish, like gulf or bay water can tend to be. In hindsight, that didn’t matter too much, because the scallop-shaped beaches have the same effect as the bay area, and seaweed can get swept up into those areas easily. I am really afraid of the ocean and will not go in if I can’t see my toes. Unfortunately, the water wasn’t clear enough for my intense standards, so I didn’t go in much. Hubby loved it. I tanned on the beach and reserved swimming for the pool.

We stayed at the Tri Trang Beach Resort just south of Patong Beach. This was a three-and-a-half star hotel, with 544 reviews on TripAdvisor.com. They offered a lot of awesome amenities which aided to the decision of picking this resort.

• The resort has an in-house restaurant and bar that was located on the lower level right along the beach. The menu was diverse with foods from around the world. Having the ability to eat all your meals on-site was super convenient. We did stop by a convenience store in town to pick up snacks and bottled water for lounging poolside, but we ate all (but one) meal at the hotel restaurant. There was also a second bar in the lobby area that overlooked the ocean, and the hotel offered room service.

• The stay included a daily breakfast buffet. There was an abundance of items to choose from including cold, hot, and cooked-to-serve options like omelets. We LOVE hotels that include breakfast, because it allows us to fill up and then either have just a snack for lunch and a full dinner, or an early dinner, and save money on a meal for the day.

• They had organized morning entertainment of yoga, volleyball, darts, and frisbee. We didn’t partake in these activities, because we were on island-time and wanted to relax and be less structured, but it was nice that the hotel offered these activities.

• The resort also had nightly entertainment. One night, we saw a musical group perform on the beachfront patio. You could be serenaded while having dinner and drinks overlooking the ocean. Even though we were in Thailand, we knew a bunch of the songs they played. Maybe they were catering to the Western taste of the crowd? No complaints over here! On other nights, they offered karaoke, retro party, beach party, or a movie. You are provided a schedule upon check-in so you can plan your days and attend the activities you want.

• There was a spa at the resort. It’s not very fancy, but it was clean. My aunts had gifted us a couple’s massage to enjoy on our honeymoon (P.S. everyone deserves a couple’s massage on their honeymoon). That was both of our first times having a Thai massage. The ladies may be small, but they are mighty strong. I recommend you get a massage before you tan. Hubby got a little sunburned and then the excess rubbing of the massage hurt. I loved it.

• The hotel is a drive from Patong Beach, so they offered a daily complementary shuttle service into town and back.

• Tri Trang has multiple places for you to cool down in the water. They own a long stretch of private beachfront property. They also have two swimming pools on the property, and towels were provided in the lobby building. Swimming pools were a necessity for me in the hotel search. Literally searched for a beachfront property with a good-looking pool.

• The resort was built on the side of a mountain, so it is multi-level. This was awesome for us, because they had two buildings, and, although they were all ocean-view rooms, the ones farther back and higher on the mountain were cheaper. Our upper building was a little farther walk from the beach, but we had our own pool, so we didn’t need to go far to get to water. It was a couple minutes’ walk through the property to the lower buildings’ pool and to beach access. I didn’t find it a bother at all getting up to our room. And our room had the most spectacular view, with a big balcony for a fraction of the price!

• The room was HUGE! This was the second-largest room and bathroom we had on our six-week honeymoon. We didn’t even need all that space, but it was a very relaxing feeling to come back to a room with all your bags and clothes put away in storage and a ton of open space.

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• The room had a mini-fridge that we used to put our drinks in to keep cool. It was so hot outside.

• We didn’t end up doing it, but they sell a romantic dinner for two on the beach as part of the honeymoon package. They set up a small table and all these tiki torches around you. It is private and romantic. However, they have beach dining on picnic tables with votive candles already included, so we decided against paying the extra fee.

Our western hotel standards are higher than other regions of the world. I would recommend that, if you are visiting Asia, you try to stay in a minimum three-and-a-half star accommodation so you are comfortable. Something that we observed with hotels in Asia is that four-star and five-star hotels are very affordable! You can have the luxury accommodation for a fraction of the price. If we had to rate the Tri Trang Beach Resort on a site like TripAdvisor, we would for sure give it five stars. We absolutely loved it. I felt some of the reviews on TripAdvisor are one star for all the wrong reasons. For example, someone gave a negative review because they only offer the free shuttle into town two times a day. Upon check-in they provide you with the schedule, and they explicitly have it in writing. It’s easy enough to follow a a schedule. If you can’t, then you just have to pay for a cab. Some reviews are unfair, so take that into consideration when reading reviews. Most other hotels in Asia we stayed at four-star or five-star accomodations, but because some of these negative reviews were bogus we gave Tri Trang a chance. So happy that we did!

If you are looking to save some money on accommodations, then I would recommend that you avoid all the common hotel franchise names you find in America and elsewhere around the world. Not trying to knock them at all, because I am sure they are spectacular, but these brands are all over the world so that Westerners can go to that country and feel comfortable knowing it’s a brand they trust. However, those rooms can run upwards of $200 a night. That’s basically the same price as if you stayed with them in America! You are paying for a name, not necessarily because they are better than the other options available. In Thailand, you should be spending less on a higher-end hotel than in America. A quick Kayak.com search shows that the cheapest four-star hotel you can find in Phuket is $18 USD a night. We didn’t go that cheap, but we decided to save money and stay at a locally-owned resort, and we had a wonderful time. So, in the end, we were glad we didn’t go with what we knew and decided to take a chance. Reviews like mine from this post, and other sites like TripAdvisor, should be considered before booking any hotel.

Day 1

We spent the morning of Day One flying from Chiang Mai into Phuket, traveling from the airport to the hotel, checking in, then exploring the hotel grounds.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we checked in at the lobby building. Unlike some of the other hotels we stayed at in Asia thus far, everyone at the front desk spoke English which was really nice. We were given a cold refreshment while we were signing in and doing paperwork. They had bellman available to assist with bringing our bags to our room. As I mentioned before, we picked the upper building, so we left the lobby, carried the bags up a flight of steps and across a small bridge ramp (over the street below), then by the pool area of our building, up a few more steps, then we were at the elevator for our building. The only time it was difficult being in the upper building was upon arrival and departure with all our bags. We were so grateful the bellman were available to help! Haha

When we opened the door to our room, we were blown away!!! The room was humongous. Coming from one of the tiniest rooms of our honeymoon in Chiang Mai to one of the largest rooms in Phuket, we were giddy with joy over the space. The whole room seemed to have been newly remodeled. There was plenty of closet, hanging, and storage space to fully unpack our bags and then stow them away. The bathroom was a great size, although it did not have a window like you may see in photos online. The view was breathtaking. We were in the upper building, so we had a more elevated view of the water and mountains. We saw the roof-lines of the buildings below us, but our building was so much higher than theirs that it didn’t take away from the scenery.

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We unpacked quickly then threw on bathing suits and went out to explore the property before dusk. We firstly went down to the restaurant to grab a bite to eat for lunch. I ordered grilled chicken over pasta and hubby ordered pasta carbonara. This was the first time in Asia that we had the option of eating Italian food, so we jumped on it haha! We also ordered mango smoothies, which were absolutely heaven. They were so refreshing and the perfect drink for the extreme heat. We loved them so much that we ordered them daily. A necessity to try if you stay at this resort.

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After lunch, we spent a little time at the beach then went to lounge by both pools. We tested out each pool to see which one we preferred. The pool on the lower level seemed a little nicer or more newly renovated, but it was smaller. The one on the upper level could probably use an upgrade, but it was a lot larger than the lower level pool and was nice enough for me. Both had lounge chairs available.

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At this point, the sun was beginning to set and we noticed the sky was changing color a little so we ran upstairs to grab our camera. By the time we got to our room, the color was stronger, and by the time we got back down to the beach, it was even stronger. We walked down the beach to these big rocks protruding from the water and took a mini photo-shoot. The sky went from a crystal clear blue during the day to yellow, then orange, then red, then pink, then purple, and finally black. I had never seen a more beautiful sunset. While watching the sunset, I was really grateful we chose Phuket. The pictures below speak for themselves.

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Day 2

Buffet breakfast was served daily from 6:30am-10:30am. We began our day at 8am with the most yummy breakfast overlooking the beach. We knew it was a hot-and-cold breakfast, but the abundance of food was really impressive. Even in America and Europe, our buffet breakfasts don’t include so many options. We had Western-type foods as well as Thai and Asian foods. We left with full, happy bellies.

The resort included a daily shuttle service into town at 9:30am and 3pm for free. Then at 12pm and 5:30pm they have an extra fee shuttle for 50 Thai Baht ($1.62 USD). Free shuttles back to the resort are at 12:30pm, 3pm, and 6pm. This was awesome, because we had planned on visiting town and thought we would have to pay for the taxi. We finished breakfast and got on the first shuttle out. We hadn’t known this when we picked the earliest shuttle that morning, but at 9:45am when we arrived at the mall they weren’t open.

So we walked around and explored town. We stopped at a convenience store and picked up snacks and bottled water. We walked over to Patong Beach and passed a bunch of bars and restaurants along the way. That was definitely the downtown area that would be poppin’ if you were looking for nighttime entertainment. We also came across a few happy-ending massage parlors. After the fact, I read online that Patong Beach has the highest amount of happy-ending massage parlors in Phuket! We didn’t partake, but this was something I’d only ever seen in movies, so it was funny to see them exist in real life.

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When the Jungceylon Shopping Center opened, we walked around and found a travel agency booth. We explained that hubby wanted a isolated and private spot that wasn’t too touristy, and I wanted crystal clear water. The woman recommended a snorkeling tour that only one company (SeaStar Andaman) does because the island is the farthest south and most tour groups go to the northern more popular islands (which end up being more crowded). After looking at the brochure and seeing how perfect it looked, we deliberated for a while then booked our tickets for that next day. We purchased tickets for around $70 USD (over 2,000 Thai Baht) each. That seemed expensive for an excursion in Thailand, but in my next post you’ll see how incredible it was and why it was worth every penny.

We spend half the day exploring that area of town. We walked around so much that we got really hungry while we were out and ended up stopped at Burger King in the mall to grab some chicken nuggets as a snack. After that, we took the 3pm shuttle back to our resort.

We lounged poolside for hours and just relaxed and enjoyed the amenities. We had dinner again beach-side. Tonight, I had the pasta carbonara that hubby ate the day before, and hubby got a white sauce seafood pizza.

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Pro Tips:

• Investigate if your hotel offers a shuttle from the airport or not. The one we picked did not. Our taxi seemed expensive, but with the exchange rate from Thai baht to US dollar, it wasn’t bad for the 20-30 miles and an hour to an hour and a half that we covered.
• Westerners should avoid tap water in Thailand. This doesn’t only mean drinking bottled water though. Consider that ice, washed fruits and vegetables, and cold deserts are all made with the same tap water. You are better off purchasing a cold refrigerated bottle or canned beverage to avoid the ice, ordering a food like a burger and holding the lettuce and tomato, skipping salads altogether, buying whole fruits and rewashing it with bottled water, and eating hot deserts. If the water has been boiled, it’s safe to consume. Sometimes drinking the water is unavoidable, so be prepared with medicine for light food poisoning or queasiness.
• Consider playing it safe when selecting food options in Thailand. Hubby got a serious case of food poisoning while in Phuket. He had ordered a creamy white sauce seafood pizza, and that night and all the next day he was violently ill. Not sure if it was the cream sauce or the seafood that did him in, but it was bad. Ask your doctor to prescribe a backup antibiotic pill that will help in case of serious food poisoning. Our doctor prescribed hubby and me each two 500mg pills of Azithromycin, which is the generic for Zithromax. It’s a heavy-duty antibiotic, so he warned that it will kill both the good and bad bacteria, but it would clean you up if you caught a bad bug.
• Never leave luggage or electronics under in-room air conditioning units. Our hotel room had one of those long, narrow units installed in the top of one of the walls. It was really hot in the room, even at night, so we slept with the A/C on, but it created condensation and started to leak! We had our luggage and laptop in close proximity along the wall. Had hubby not woken up during the night and turned on the light, we may have wrecked our possessions by morning. In the morning, we called the front desk and they sent someone to look at it.

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Our time in Phuket is only halfway done, and the best is yet to come!! Visit back next week for a post on weddings, and in two weeks we’ll finish up Part 2 of this Phuket, Thailand, itinerary with a review of the beach with the clearest water, fewest people, and best snorkeling in Phuket, Thailand!

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Thailand, here we come! Next stop on our six-week honeymoon around the world was Chiang Mai, Thailand. We had heard wonderful travel stories of elephant sanctuaries and beautiful temples in the jungles of northern Thailand, so we knew we had to add this city into our itinerary while we were visiting. In this post, we’ll be covering our three-day itinerary, including transportation, where to stay, guided tours, and the best Thai food in Thailand.

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Quick note: Our trip to Thailand includes photos that some may find offensive. Lots of phallic imagery in this country: soaps, sculptures, paintings, and more. If you don’t wish to see these images, then check back in next week for a new Amarvelous Wedding post instead!

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Day 1

Transportation

We departed Hong Kong at 10:35am and flew on Air Asia airlines to Chiang Mai International Airport arriving at 12:20pm. The flight was $272 USD for the both of us. There is a one-hour time difference between these cities.

Chiang Mai International Airport is small. Maybe I am biased, because we had an issue upon landing, but I don’t think the customer service was very good. When our brand-new (wedding gift) hard-shell Samsonite luggage came down the conveyor belt, it had a massive crack in it. That crack happened sometime while our luggage was in the care of the airline and/or airports (Hong Kong or Chiang Mai). Air Asia Customer Service offered us two options: to receive a comparably-sized non-brand-name luggage as a replacement or a small sum of cash so we could go purchase our own luggage in Thailand. We didn’t enjoy either of those options, because our newly destroyed luggage was valued at way higher than the two replacement options. When we expressed our dissatisfaction, they offered us a third option to fill out a form from the airline company, which we did. SPOILER ALERT: Samsonite is a fantastic company and they replaced our luggages. We got the same model, but in soft shell this time.

Pro Tip: Duck tape is your broken luggage’s best friend. We found a 7-Eleven store that sold a roll, and we taped up our luggage. It looked unsightly, but it held the luggage together for the rest of our trip. We were only halfway done with our six-week honeymoon around the world and had several more flights to go.

Our hotel was a 15-minute drive away from the Chiang Mai International Airport, and we utilized the airport taxi stand. Our driver rode over a curb and popped his tire before we even left the parking lot haha. So we got in a new taxi and were finally on our way! Between the broken luggage and the taxi, our first hour in Thailand was eventful.

Where to Stay

Old City is the best area to stay within Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is a cube of land surrounded by a canal located in the heart of Chiang Mai. This area is walkable and has many hotels, restaurants, entertainment, shopping, and small temples. Additionally, most tours that provide transportation will only pick you up from a location within the Old City borders. Being that we were booking two days of tour groups, it was essential to stay in Old City.

We stayed at the Somwang Boutique House near the west border of the Old City cube. This was a beautiful, charming three-floor boutique hotel with lots of outdoor seating areas. It checked off all the boxes on our travel wishlist, and, in the end, it worked out really well for us.

• Washing Machines: We were traveling on a six-week trip and wanted to wash our own clothes as much as possible. Do-it-yourself laundry facilities within the hotel were high on our “must-have” list. The washers were on the top floor with many cables hanging to dry clothes on. We purchased laundry soap at the local store, washed all our clothes upon arrival, and then again before we left. We of course brought all our delicates back to the room to hang dry, but shirts, pants, and bathing suits dried outside on the cables. It was actually really nice putting clothes in the washer then hanging out poolside while they washed. It didn’t matter that the hotel didn’t have dryers, because it was so hot outside that the clothes air-dried very quickly.
• Pool: It is super HOT in Chiang Mai in the summer. We visited in early May, so we only looked at hotels that had a pool. In hindsight, this pool was in the center of the U-shaped hotel, so most of the day the three-floor building shaded the pool, leaving the water a little chilly. There were other hotels that had a pool on the roof or in an unshaded area. If you can find a hotel like that, the water will be warmer. But like I said, it was so hot that even the brisk water temperature was a welcome relief to my boiling blood. (Can you tell I don’t like being hot? Haha)
• Included Breakfast: On a long vacation, it’s nice having one meal a day included by the hotel. Eating out three meals a day is not only costly, but it can be exhausting trying to find a spot. This hotel offered a really nice breakfast just across the small street in a separate building. Every morning, they served from 7:30am-10am, and if you had to leave the hotel earlier than 7:30am, then they could prepare you a breakfast to go if you let them know the day before. They offered a buffet of continental breakfast items such as breads, fruits, and juices, then you could sit down at your table and order your hot breakfast items such as eggs and sliced meats. It was nice being able to eat something while the rest of your breakfast was made to order. It helped with getting us on the road for our tours faster.

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There were two downsides to our hotel:

• The room had no storage space. We understood that in a boutique hotel the room may be smaller, which we were totally fine with because we planned on being out all day anyway and hardly spending any time in the room. But guests still expect a closet to hang clothes or drawers to fold and put them away. With the exception of a couple wall hooks, we ended up living out of our suitcases. We made do for our three days here, but had we been staying longer it would have been annoying not having the space.
• Being only three floors, there were no elevators. Our room was on the second floor. We had a large suitcase, two carry-ons, and two personal bags. The staff was friendly and helped us bring everything upstairs.

After we checked into the hotel, we quickly dropped our bags in the room and left to walk around and explore. The roads are small, and there are hidden gems everywhere. One road had an entrance to a stand market where I picked up a sheer white scarf with blue elephants on it. The next road had a large catch-all store where I purchased a wooden hand fan (so hot).

The next road had a small temple that we decided to explore called Wat Phantao. I knew that Thailand’s temples had certain clothing etiquette, but I hadn’t anticipated on our first day that we would just stumble upon a temple in the heart of the city, so I wasn’t prepared with attire to cover my shoulders and knees. Fortunately for me, there were some very friendly monks that worked at the temple entrance that would loan visitors skirt wraps and shirts for free so they could enter, and they even helped me tie it on. The temple had a tile floor, dark wood walls, a peaked light and dark wood slatted interior roof, and gold ribbons hanging as accents. There was a gorgeous gold Buddha at the far side of the building. The gold color really popped on the dark cherry walls. The sides of the building had donation urns set up. We walked the grounds, then continued on exploring the city.

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Our next stop on the walk back to our hotel was a travel agent company storefront. We had only booked our elephant excursion in advance of our travel, because we were informed that they sell out quickly. Other than that, we hadn’t booked other excursions, so we stopped in to see what they offered. Our goal was to book a day at the famous White Temple. The travel agent offered a combo Blue Temple, White Temple, and Black House package that included lunch and transportation. We booked that for one day. They also offered a cooking class with the Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre and had a few additional slots available that very evening, so we booked that too.

We quickly headed back to the hotel to be ready for our cooking class hotel pick-up. A little after we arrived, they showed up in a tuk-tuk van. We were the first hotel pick-up. We stopped at two more hotels that picked up a group of three women, and then two men. We introduced ourselves as we rode along to the first destination and learned that they were from England and Australia and were all taking a gap year between high school and college (so my husband and I were a decade older than everyone else in the class haha). The first stop was a local grocery store to pick up all the ingredients for the cooking class. The hilarious guide cracked jokes and taught us about all the essential Thai cooking ingredients, allowed us to taste several spices and mini dried shrimp, then gave us another five minutes to explore the store on our own and purchase anything we wanted before meeting back in the tuk-tuk and heading to the cooking studio.

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The cooking studio was basically a house. You entered the main door to a big courtyard. The cooking school took place in the courtyard and a small air-conditioned building in the back. Everyone was provided an apron and was allowed to select between a few dishes to cook. Everyone made spring rolls as appetizers, then hubby and I each selected different soup, protein dish, and noodle dish options so we could taste several dishes. They also provided everyone with white rice. We had so much fun cooking and learning new techniques. We loved that since everyone had their own cooking station and was only cooking single-serve portions for themselves, you could leave out whatever ingredients you didn’t want. For example, my dish was supposed to include mushrooms, but I don’t care for them so I just left them out! When we finished cooking, we brought all our hard-earned food into the air-conditioned room and feasted on (no exaggeration) the most delicious Thai food that I have, still to this day, ever had in my life. As a parting gift, the cooking school gifted everyone with their own cookbook. All the recipes we cooked were included, plus some extras that we didn’t make.

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After the class, with full bellies, we were ready for some dessert. We wanted to keep exploring and walk off some of our meal, so we skipped the shuttle back to our hotel and instead continued our walk around town. We came across this wonderful street and indoor market named Anusarn Market with what seemed like hundreds of stalls selling all types of goods. I purchased a long skirt similar in style to the one that the monk had tied on me (just a whole lot cuter). We haggled down the price a bit because the stand I liked the print at the most had a higher price, so we made a deal. We continued on until we found ice cream cones. Even in the evening, it was so warm that the cold treat was just what the doctor ordered. We ate our desserts as we strolled back to our hotel. We took a night-time dip in the pool to end our first day in Chiang Mai.

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Day 2

Day Two was dedicated to an all-day excursion at the Elephant Nature Park. We knew coming to Thailand that we wanted to see elephants up close and personal. It took some research, but we decided on this specific park because they did not allow riding, and all the elephants were rescued from terrible conditions and were being nursed back to health. The proceeds of ticket sales are used to save elephants from extreme conditions and bring them to a peaceful retirement. How can you say no to that?

We woke up, had breakfast at 7:30am at the hotel, then got picked up by bus. The Elephant Nature Park was just over an hour away from our hotel. Upon arrival, we were in awe. There were a bunch of other buses and tourists there, but the property was so large and full of lush greenery, that when we split into our smaller guided groups, it didn’t seem touristy. We were literally in a valley in the middle of the jungle with the Mae Taeng River flowing on the exterior border. It was an elephants’ paradise. The main building was a place for visitors to line up and throughout the day feed the elephants by hand. We held pieces of melon and bananas in our hands, and the elephants would stretch out their trunks to each get a fresh piece. I found it fascinating that they ate the whole piece—rind, skin, and all!

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On our guided walk around the park, we were introduced to each elephant by name, told their back story of where they were rescued from, and if they were currently on the mend and healing from an ailment. The park had rescued elephants of all ages, from old to young. Some of the elephants on property even had their own baby elephants. They even had two different species of elephants in the park.

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By midday it was so hot, but we got a cool-down with a rain shower. I had worn a one-piece bathing suit and shorts to the park that day, because I knew it would be hot, so I didn’t mind at all that we were getting wet. Bring on the rain! During the rain, we had a lunch break. All the groups headed up to the main facility for our included buffet lunch. Our tour group had been at the far side of the park and arrived last, so some dishes were completely gone. I liked what I had eaten, but I wish we had been able to see what the other dishes were. They were probably the more popular ones, and that’s why they ran out. Oh well! In the time that we were heading back to the dining hall, and hardly any groups were out, our tour guide let us take individual photos with some elephants. I’ll take close-up interactions with elephants over Pad Thai any day haha!

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After lunch, we walked around some more and watched the staff wash the elephants. That had been an activity the website said we could participate in, but before we had left for Thailand they emailed us and said for the safety of the elephants they had changed their policy, and guests were no longer allowed in the water. I had been looking forward to getting in the water with the elephants, but when I saw how rough the baby elephants were playing, holding each other under the water, I was relieved we weren’t in there with them! We purchased a mango smoothie and a Thai iced tea from the café, then we got back on the bus to our hotel.

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The Elephant Nature Park offered other kinds of tours too. They had tours where you could sleep overnight and then volunteer and be more hands-on and work at the facility. We were on our honeymoon and wanted to fit in other activities while in Chiang Mai, so that option didn’t work for us. They also have a dog sanctuary where you can go for the day and do similar activities that we did with the elephants.

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After we arrived back at the hotel, we took a dip in the pool to cool down. Then hubby did some laundry while I headed out to a nail salon a few blocks away called 2SiS Nails & Spa. We had gotten married three weeks earlier, and my gel manicure was not looking pretty, especially after a day with the elephants. It was the tiniest nail place I’ve ever been to. Basically just one woman and two chairs. It took her almost two hours to strip my gel manicure and do a new manicure and pedicure. I hadn’t anticipated it would take that long, but I was glad I did it.

Once she was done, hubby met me, and we walked back towards the hotel to John’s Place Tapae Gate restaurant just at the corner of our block. We went to the upstairs balcony overlooking the canal below and sat at a booth. So many things on the menu sounded good. We ordered the same soup we had the night before at the cooking school, Pad Thai, battered and fried shrimp, and a mango sticky rice for dessert. The people at the booth next to us were looking at us and laughing a bit. We had not really known why, until we got our food. When the server was coming over the people turned around to us and said “big!” and that’s when we realize just how large the portion sizes were at this restaurant. The soup was like a whole pot’s worth. The fried shrimp was a whole plate of fried shrimp among other battered and fried foods like onion rings. The Pad Thai was a big heaping pile. And the mango sticky rice was also really large for a dessert. Haha whelp… no way of knowing we were significantly over-ordering. We had such a long day we were probably ordering with our eyes. We ate as much as we possibly could then headed back to the hotel.

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Our first two days in Thailand were jam-packed with shopping, cooking, elephants, and swimming. Even though we got off to a rocky start with a broken luggage and a busted taxi, things significantly turned around, and we were loving our time in Thailand!! Stay tuned for the rest of our 3 Day Chiang Mai Thailand Itinerary: Part 2 will be released in two weeks!

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