คุณสวย Khun swy
Yes, you are beautiful Thailand. Another bucket list trip that I enjoyed so much, I had to visit twice. It's located in Southern Asia where I always feel at home. My hair colorist is Thai and she has shared many great stories, suggesting the best times to visit. I took meticulous notes from her and I planned my travel to Thailand.
Bangkok
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Good news: No cell phone issues! I arrived very late and was shuttled to my hotel, The Millennium Hilton. Upon check-in, I was told that my junior suite was given away because of the lateness of my arrival. Because of this, they upgraded me to the Royal Suite and had the nerve to ask whether it was okay!
I had to laugh. Is it okay?! Does it come with a butler too?! I was asked to go up to the room to make sure it was acceptable. Surely, this must have been a joke. Once I got to my suite, I realized it was so large it made up half of the entire floor and had amazing views. This trip was already off to a wonderful start.
Once I rested up, I began the day with a Bangkok tour to the Thai Orchid Gardens, where the beautiful orchids are stretched out for miles in an array of colors. From there we headed to Damnoen Saduak floating markets. This tour is a must if you visit Thailand.
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You will take a ride in the traditional Thai long-tailed speedboat through the ancient canal and see the famous floating markets of Damneoen Saduak. You'll get to pick up souvenirs for a cheap price at the markets. It's a wonderful tour as you pass by many temples and Thailand culture.
Bangkok is a great place for shopping and a wonderful large city that offers something for every traveler, including a great cheap massage! I received a 1.5-hour Thai massage for $25 US dollars. If you’ve never had a Thai massage please know that there is quite a bit of stretching, being stepped on, and rocking (which will eventually rock you right into a comfortable sleep).
I ended my second day in Bangkok and headed for Phuket which is 1.5 hours from Bangkok by plane.
Phuket
Phuket is quite an interesting city and I would recommend that a first-time visitor stay further out and perhaps take on Patong for one day (if you want to kick up your heels 24/7 Patong is the place for you). I stayed 3 days further out in Choeng Thale and one day closer in Patong. I have to be honest, staying closer in was like Las Vegas on steroids. There was so much activity that I even had drinks at Hooters and yes, they did dance!
I stayed at Dream Hotels in Phuket. It was a beautiful hotel, 2 years new with a detached beach that required a short shuttle ride, which was perfectly fine for me. While there if you do nothing else, you MUST take the tour of Phi Phi Islands. You will fall head over heels in love with the turquoise waters on this full-day tour and lose yourself in the stunning beaches of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Lee.
In the usual format, the monkeys came on our speedboat to greet us. The snorkeling excursion was amazing and the meals by the locals, Pad Thai (my favorite), Som Tum (Spicy Green Papaya Salad), Khao Pad (Fried Rice) and Kai Med Ma Muang (Chicken with Cashew Nuts) were mouthwatering. Right after I hit the turquoise water to do the famous Thailand water pose. Yes, you must do this pose too when you go!
Following our delicious meal and swim, we headed to Phi Phi Lee. Most of the islands are uninhabited but offer tours because of their beauty. I learned that this particular island was featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach as I continued to take in Phi Phi Lee’s aquamarine lagoons. They are breathtakingly beautiful.
Another popular tour is the Shark Watching Tour on Koh Phi Phi Don. It is a 1/2 day tour that is done in small groups. This is a snorkeling tour and I was told it is unforgettable. I did not take this tour, but someone I met did and raved about it. I would love to hear more when you visit Thailand.
As mentioned, I’ve gone to Thailand twice. The first time I paired Thailand with Tokyo and the second time with Hanoi. Another great pairing option is Chiang Mai which is just a little over an hour from Thailand. Some people opt to take the train but flights are generally cheap when you’re so close to another country. I found a $99 roundtrip fare today!
The local currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). The Thai Baht is worth $30.61 to our American $1. Using a credit card is always convenient as I only exchanged once for my wonderful spa appointment.
As I always say, don’t be discouraged by the long flight. A good airline will make you forget. My pick this trip was Cathay Pacific. If you are not a mileage member this would be the time to sign up because Cathay Pacific codeshares with American Airlines. Long trips can give you lots of miles, sometimes enough for a one-way (or even roundtrip if you just let them stack up).
I look forward to hearing about your visit to Thailand การเดินทางมีความสุข
Happy Trip!
Dionne Dickson is in the Legal Profession and the proud mother of three wonderful adult children. You can catch Dionne traveling the globe, dancing to a great song in an Instagram story or catching a spectacular sunset sipping wine somewhere magical on Instagram @imbizzie_traveling.
