Diana & Donald
Thailand has something to offer for everyone. From its pristine beaches to its rich cultural heritage, from its enchanting dense rainforests to its hustling bustling city life, from its palaces to its rice paddies, from its adventure sports to its crazy shopping streets, from its spicy local cuisines to its magnificent temples. This country is for EVERYONE and believe us, you will not ever be disappointed.
We will take you through our favorite destinations we visited during our 10 days trip which will surely make you visit this diversified amazing country.
The first destination which tops our list is Koh Samui
Being the second-largest island of Thailand, this tropical paradise is lined up with pristine white sand beaches, magnificent temples, and cascading waterfalls.
We took the Seatran ferry to reach Koh Samui Island which cost us a total of 1500 Thai baht for 2 people one way. This package included pick up from our Krabi hotel, private van till Donsak Pier in Suratthani and then transfer to Nathon pier, Koh Samui by Seatran ferry. The entire duration of the trip was around 5 hours.
Seatran Ferry booking link and contact details: http://www.ferrysamui.com/
Ferry Operator: Seatran Discovery: ( Krabi Branch) Mobile number: +66 98 2512985 or Office number: +66 75 611096 + 66 75 611284
We then took a shuttle van from Nathon pier in Koh Samui Island which cost us around 150 Thai baht to reach our hotel which was located around 10 km from the pier.
We checked into Koh Samui Bayview Resort & Spa which we booked through Agoda for 2 nights and costed us Rs. 7000 INR inclusive of breakfast.
We absolutely recommend the below things to do when in Koh Samui:
1. Definitely chill at your hotel’s infinity pool overlooking the ocean ? We booked our hotel stay at Koh Samui Bayview Resort and Spa which was absolutely worth every penny.
2. Visit the 12 meters high Golden Buddha Statue situated at Big Buddha Beach. Wat Phrai is also known as Big Buddha was our first stop when we rented our bike in Koh Samui. This Buddhist temple is located on Ko Phan, a small island from the northeastern area of Koh Samui. This 11-meter-high statue built-in 1972 is an impressive landmark and difficult to miss while cruising around in Samui. There is no entrance fee here.
3. Get soaked in the Namuang waterfalls located southeast of Nathon Bay. Entry is free however there is a parking fee for your vehicle if bike then 20 Thai baht. Namuang waterfalls have two tiers – Waterfall 1 and Waterfall 2. Waterfall 1 is located at a 2 mins walking distance from the parking lot whereas, in the latter one, you need to hike for around 10 mins to reach waterfall 2.
4. Shake a leg at the Starz cabaret show at Chaweng Beach. Visit Chaweng beach during the day and then head to the cabaret show at night. The daily cabaret shows begin from 9 pm onwards until 11 pm. The entry fee is 100 Thai Bhat cover charge included.
5. Visit the Fisherman’s walking street at Bophut on Mondays and Fridays at 5 pm and 11 pm and on other days, there is an array of trendy sit-out restaurants overlooking the Boput beach. There is no entrance fee to this village.
6. Check out the natural geological formations Hin Ta and Hin Ya rocks (Grandpa and Grandma Rocks) which look like male and female genitalia at Lamai Beach.
7. Visit Samui’s most famous mummified monk Luang Pordaeng. Wat Khunaram Buddhist Temple known for its Mummified Monk is located on Koh Samui Island. This temple is notable for the Mummified body of the monk Luang Phodaeng which is kept in a glass casket who died in 1973 and directed that his body be put on display as a reminder of the short-liveness of human existence.
8. Guan Yu Shrine: This Chinese Shrine is situated south of Lamai opp the Hua Thanon Fishing Village. The shrine is a celebration of Chinese heritage for the Chinese Koh Samui community and is dedicated to Guan Yu, a legendary warrior who died almost 2,000 years ago. We looked so tiny in front of Guan Yu. In reality, Guan Yu was a giant man more than 2 meters tall. The entrance is free.
9. If you have some additional days, then take a day trip or stay a night at Koh Tao Island famous for its turtle snorkeling and pristine ocean views.
10. Rent a moped that would cost anywhere between 150 – 200 Thai baht per day and cruise through the narrow lanes of Samui Island with captivating views of the beaches.
Our NEXT Destination is KRABI
This tiny island town is dotted with pristine sand beaches, glistening turquoise sea waters, huge limestone rocks perched in the middle of the ocean along the blue magical sky lined with the colorful Thai boats which you surely cannot miss. Our suggestion is to give Phuket a miss and head over to this less commercialized island.
We stayed at Krabi Tipa resort for 3 nights which cost us around Rs. 9000 INR
Few of our recommendations when you are visiting Krabi:
1. Take leisurely walks at Aonang Beach and try out the diverse street food.
2. Take a half-day or full one-day tour to either Maya Bay or Phi Phi Island or Four Islands (Poda Island, Phranang Cave, Chicken Island, and Tup Island).
3. Visit Susaan Hoi, or Fossil Shell Beach (literally Seashell Graveyard), which is located at Ban Laem Pho in Krabi. The age of these fossils is about 40 million years.
4. Visit the walking weekend market in Krabi Town held on Fri, Sat, and Sun.
5. Visit the pristine Railay Beach and Phranang caves and embark on adventure sports like rock climbing, kayaking, snorkeling, etc.
OUR FINAL DESTINATION is BANGKOK
One can never leave Thailand without visiting this iconic bustling capital city, Bangkok.
This populous city is certainly intoxicating and diverse at every single turn. The glistening temples, the floating markets, the spicy street food, the innumerous shopping markets, the exciting tuk-tuk rides, the luxurious hotel stays, the everyday hustle-bustle, the popular nightlife be its nightclubs, pubs, cabarets or exotic red-light districts, and the list goes on.
Our hotel stay in Bangkok was G9 Bangkok, Chatuchak for 4 nights which cost us Rs. 5500 INR
We stayed in Bangkok for 4 nights and surely recommend the below:
1. Explore Bangkok City in Metro – Bangkok city is well connected with its BTS SKYTRAIN and MRT Metro transport. So we suggest using public transport rather than Uber or tuk-tuk to save your time and money.
2. Visit the famous Chatuchak Market which has around 10000 shops which have almost everything you can imagine here. Market timings: Monday to Sunday except Fridays 9 am to 6 pm Friday night market from 6 pm to 12 am. We suggest keeping a map, sunglasses, cap, water, and a big bag handy with you when you visit here and don’t forget to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. The nearest metro station is Mochit and once you reach this station, it is barely a 5 mins walk towards the market.
3. Experience Muay Thai Boxing which is the National sport of Thailand. You can catch a free THAI boxing experience at Muay Thai F.A Group in Chatuchak over the weekends.
4. Visit the Rot Fai Train Market at Ratchada for antique curious, street food, and live music. Nearest metro station – Cultural center MRT Underground station Timings: 5 pm to 1 am every day.
5. Shop at Pratunam Wholesale market from 6 am to 8 am. You may have to sacrifice your early morning sleep for just a day but this is your go-to shopping destination if you want clothes at dirt cheap prices. Be ready to buy more than one/two quantities of items as this is a wholesale market.
6. Visit the Night Palladium Market for personalized clothing, bags, caps, passport cases, etc. Getting here – Take the BTS to ChitLom Station and walk towards Palladium Mall for around 15 mins. There are numerous caricature artists at this market so don’t miss making your caricature for just 100 baht.
7. Try out the yummy street food in Bangkok, a few of the popular ones being mango sticky rice ice cream, banana pancake, strawberry, and Nutella crepes, sweet dish cendol made of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk, and palm sugar syrup with ice, coconut icecream, fried chicken, squids fry, fish pops, ice popsicles, grilled chicken, pad thai, etc
8. Ride in a tuk-tuk around the city but make sure you bargain.
9. Visit Patpong Market for fake designer brands such as Nike, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Rayban, Rolex, and many more at cheap prices. Do not forget to bargain here. Market timings: 6 pm to 1 am every day. Getting here: From BTS Siam station, alight at Sala Daeng station and walk for 5 mins. This market is quite popular for its Ping-Pong shows and go-go bars so be quite careful before entering here.
10. Visit 7 eleven stores located at every nook and corner of the city for a variety of snacks and drinks and you will thank us later 😉
So that’s it from this #amazingthailand blogpost. We loved our stay in Thailand and can’t wait to revisit this country again to explore the lesser-known destinations.
Hope you guys enjoyed reading this detailed post and in case you need any help in planning your trip, do reach out to us on our Instagram handle @naughtyandcurly
Also, you can check out our Thailand vlogs playlist here.
Disclaimer: We are am not associated with any brand, it’s just our personal views without any intention to promote/demote any individual or brand. Though it’s only done to share our memories and not for monetary benefits, please give due credit or take permission for using any content (blog/images/videos).
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