After Punta Cana, Thailand was our second long-distance trip together. We hadn’t really informed ourselves about the destination and just picked out the (in our opinion) nicest hotel. Since most of the flights from Europe land in Bangkok, we decided to stay 3 nights there and travel on to the island. Well, it was that easy and our travel plan was set.
I always have a lot of fun thinking about what the process of planning our first trips was like. Today (13 years later) I would spend weeks collecting information about the travel destination and taking a few weeks (if not months) to plan the trip. I even planned some destinations (such as Australia) for over 1 year. But well, everyone starts small 😉
We started in Bangkok and experienced a complete culture shock. At that time I had never seen a city like Bangkok. It was loud, smelly and there was trash everywhere. The tuk tuk drivers kept asking us if we wanted to go to the ping-pong party, naive as I was back then, I only found out what that meant at home 😉 Actually we arrived and just wanted to leave the city again.
The next day we had an extremely delicious breakfast in our accommodation in the Millennium Hilton Bangkok. With full bellies and lots of caffeine in our blood, we decided to give the city a second chance. But first I would leaf through the travel guide. 😉
First we explored the city on foot, but quickly noticed that we could get ahead faster with a TukTuk. We strolled through markets, ate Thai street food and sipped cocktails in the Hotel’s ThreeSixty Lounge – including a panoramic view.
The next day we were picked up by a tour guide for a tour to the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew – the golden shimmering palace is extremely impressive (sorry for the poor quality of the pictures).
After 2 eventful days we saw Bangkok with different eyes. This city is definitely unique.
Nevertheless, we longed for some relaxation after the hustle and bustle. We flew from Bangkok to Phuket, from there by ferry to Koh Phi Phi. We booked the transfer from Phuket directly through the hotel.
Of course we had chosen the best accommodation on the island again – Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort in Koh Ba Kao Bay
On our part of the island there was pure tranquility… but the island can also be completely different. Koh Phi Phi is also often referred to as the backpacker party island.
Since it quickly becomes too monotonous for Sven and me, we asked at the hotel how we would get to Tonsai Bay. There were 2 options … with the water taxi or on foot over a beaten path (approx. 3 km). Anyone who knows us better knows that we have chosen the 2nd variant 😉 On our hike we saw the island from a completely different perspective – despite this we drove back with a water taxi 😉
Our daily sports program could not be missing, of course, and so we either spent the morning running to the viewpoint or at the gym.
Our highlight was a day trip with a longtail boat to Bamboo Island, Monkey Beach, Maya Bay – setting of the film The Beach … until sunset.
This ended our short trip to Thailand. It was definitely not our last trip to Thailand, there is still so much to discover.
Before we went back to Europe we spent one last night in Bangkok at the Hotel Banyan Tree Bangkok and enjoyed a few cocktails with a great view in the Moon Bar.
Our personal opinion about Thailand:
- dream beaches
- very good price-performance ratio
- extremely tasty food
- the Thais are extremely friendly and helpful
- Bangkok is very special – but you have to see it
Best travel time:
There is no best travel time for all of Thailand, as Thailand is divided into 4 climate zones. The best travel time for Koh Phi Phi is from mid-November to the end of April. From May to October is the rainy season and there can be heavy rainfall.
Hotel recommendations:
- Millennium Hilton Bangkok
- Banyan Tree Bangkok
- Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort
More tips & recommendations:
- Vertigo Restaurant and Moon Bar at Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok
- Sky Bar at Lebua State Tower – location from the movie Hangover 2
- book an excursion by longtail boat to the surrounding islands
