Thailand is the luxurious vacation no ones thinks they can afford but actually can! I had always assumed I could not afford a trip to Asia but you can actually find very reasonable flights and once you are there is is VERY cheap.  It it the most beautiful country with something for everyone: adventure, food, beaches, hiking, the list goes on and on.  Because travel time is 2 days both ways, I would suggest giving yourself 8-10 days minimum, to make the long flight worth it. In 10 days we were able to visit Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket (more to come on my recommendations for each city!).  Of course we would have liked more time in all of the places, but we did as much as we could in the time we had and feel like we really experienced Thailand.

Accommodations

Don’t skimp on hotels in Thailand. It’s one of the few places a budget traveler can feel like royalty. For $30-50 per night (total not each!) you can stay in beautiful, fancy hotels that would never be affordable in the US or Europe. All of our hotels provided delicious breakfasts with the freshest fruits and juices, a variety of typical breakfast items as well as different types of Asian noodle and rice dishes. Get out of your comfort zone and try something different, it’s so fun and you may end up finding something great!  Also something I didn’t realize was that in addition to providing normal toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner), hotels in Asia also provide a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Save room in your bag and leave those things at home. You’ll need it for all the great souvenirs you’ll end up with anyway.

Bangkok
U Sukhumvit Bangkok

The hotel was fantastic. They had a beautiful rooftop pool, with a bar that served both food and drinks. The rooms were clean, comfortable and spacious. But the bathrooms were the best part of this hotel room for me. I had the best shower of my life, with a massaging shower head and a rain shower and the best water pressure. It was absolutely fabulous. I would stay again just for another shower.

The hotel offered a free tuk tuk ride to the train station, which was about 5 minutes away, which you can then take trains to easily get around Bangkok. They will also come pick you up at the train station and take you back to the hotel if you have cell service and are able to call them. Otherwise a cab or tuk tuk ride directly back to the hotel was only a few dollars. U Sukhumvit is definitely luxury on a budget and I’d recommend it in Bangkok.

Chiang Mai
Shewe Wana Boutique Resort & Spa

This hotel  was questionable upon our arrival and seeing it from the street, however once we made our way past the privacy fence, it opened up to beautiful, vegetative, lush jungle-like grounds. We had reserved a regular room, however we got lucky and they upgraded us to a beautiful suite upon check in. Having the additional space was really nice for our time there. The hotel had a coffee shop and restaurant, 2 nice pools and a beautiful spa. The spa offered your choice of 2-hour massages, 2 for the price of 1, which ended up around $45 each, and they were ahhhmazing.

This hotel also offered free tuk tuk rides to the downtown night bazaar and to other places closer to the city center. However, walking to/from the night bazaar and city center was not far (15-ish minutes) if you miss the tuk tuk. Our flight leaving Chiang Mai was after midnight, so the hotel stored our luggage while we were out an about during the day. When we returned later in the day, they offered us another room to shower and change clothes, which was completely unexpected and so nice to freshen up for dinner and the flight to Phuket.  Shewe Wana is the most serene and relaxing place and I would definitely recommend it when staying in Chiang Mai.

Phuket
Beyond Resort Karon

We stayed at Beyond Beach Resort at Karon Beach. It is the only beach front hotel on Karon beach and it is fabulous. All of the rooms are ocean front and they have several restaurant and bars throughout with beautiful views. The rooms are large and comfortable, with balconies overlooking the grounds and ocean. The bathroom was nice and the shower was all glass so that you can see out to the water while you are showering (assuming you don’t mind whoever you’re traveling with also getting a peek, haha). Don’t worry, there is also a privacy curtain if you choose to not shower with a view.

The resort has 2 pools, one with a large swim up bar that serves delicious tropical cocktails, as well as wine, beer and other drinks. The pool areas open to the beach where the warm water is the most amazing turquoise color. There are tons of beach chairs and servers coming by to take drink and food orders throughout the day. The hotel is located right on the main strip in Karon beach, walkable to tons of bars, restaurants and shops.

This hotel also allowed us to use a room to shower and change after we had already checked out, to freshen up for our long flight back to New York.  This was something that was so surprising to us because I have never experienced that in any US hotel.  Be sure to ask your hotel about this if you have a late night flight, because they were all so flexible and accommodating for us. Beyond Resort Karon is the perfect place to stay for stay for your beach front vacation, as it really is paradise.

The Food

I love Thai food so I was very excited to eat legit Thai food in Thailand. The food was incredible and DIRT CHEAP. Like dinner most nights was somewhere around $5-6, for huge portions and a drink. My suggestion, however, stick with Thai food and try a variety of dishes. At one point we stopped for Mexican because we wanted to switch it up after lots of Thai food, but it was not good (duh) and it was the one meal that I ended up with food poisoning. Even the lunch stops we made on our day tours were amazing, and better than most of the Thai food I’ve had in the US.

My favorites were pad thai, pineapple fried rice, green curry and the spicy drunken noodles! After coming back from Thailand it took me several months to eat Thai again, because I had had sooo much in a 10 day period, but also because I knew the food here just wouldn’t compare. I have found a few places in New York that are excellent, but nothing beats traditional Thai food in Thailand.

Traveling in Asia

While trying to decide where to go on vacation, we found a super cheap flight to Thailand, which sealed the deal. And when I say super cheap, I mean it…$650 round trip from NYC! We flew Air China, which is no frills, but nice, with relatively comfortable seats and a decent selection of entertainment for a 14 hour flight.

Between cities in Asia we flew Thai Airways and Air Asia. They were both wonderful, much nicer than any of the American airlines. Even on a 1-2 hour flight, they provided meals (with interesting food choices, but still) and free wine! The people working the flights were so nice and made it such an enjoyable experience. The fares for the domestic flights in Thailand were also very cheap, $20-30 each way. There are other, even cheaper, ways to travel through Thailand (buses and trains), however it takes much longer and the accommodation is not always great from what I read. And for $20-30, I’d prefer to fly and get there quickly and in comfort.

When you are getting around the different cities in Thailand, I’d suggest taking as many tuk tuk rides as you can. They are cheap and so fun to ride in. We even took one to the airport (an hour ride!) on our way back to the US, just to get one last ride in before leaving. They are everywhere and can make it through traffic easier than cars can. Also know that you can bargain with the driver on the price.  Always ask if they will take less than they initially offer because they will, and you can use that money for other things.

General Tips

1 -Thailand uses the Baht (฿1 to $0.03).  We found it to be mostly cash only and did not use our credit cards the entire trip. When we arrived at the airport we each took out around‎ ฿3000 (Baht), which is about $80. Over the entire trip we spent about $250-300 cash (food, drinks and shopping).  Depending on the amount of time you will be there (10 days for us) and the amount of shopping you think you will do, I would suggest taking more cash out to start with and save on ATM fees later.

2 -When we landed in Bangkok after 29 hours of travel, we were ready to crash. Thankfully it was around 10:30pm when we arrived so we made our way to our hotel for a great nights sleep. Then when we woke up, we were on Thailand time and really didn’t have many issues with jet lag going forward. If I can work it to arrive at night on any trip, I prefer it. It helps so much with the time change and I feel so much better throughout the trip. I don’t sleep well on planes, so overnight flights make functioning that first day rough.  To me it’s worth the extra vacation day needed to fly during the day and arrive at night.

3 – Carry some toilet paper or wipes with you when you are out and about. Not all places have it and you’ll be grateful to have a little something.  Also hand sanitizer because not all places had soap and water to wash up after.

4 -Most people in Thailand speak English thankfully, so communication is easier than you would think.  The Thai people are so friendly and will go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable and happy.  Thai people greet you with a “wai” which is the slight bow with your palms pressed together. It’s considered an insult to not return a wai so smile and give a slight bow back.

Plan a trip to Thailand.  It’s cheaper than you think and you will have some amazing experiences, eat delicious food and see some beautiful sights.  Ka poon ka Thailand, I hope to be back someday!