A recent visitor to our site asked us about great places to go in Thailand (my home country). Now we do have a Thailand Travel Information Page but since we get a lot of e-mails like hers, I thought I would share her questions and response with all of you:
[i]"Hello, I was doing a search on Thailand and came across your website.
My fiance and I
will be traveling there in May for our honeymoon and neither of us have been before.
Can you provide suggestions on what to do , where to stay, where not to go, etc.
We
definitely want to spend most of our time on the beach, maybe going to the spas, yoga,
hiking, waterfalls, etc.
Which beaches do you suggest? Are there any waterfalls or hiking
trails that we could explore?"[/i]
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and honeymoon. My home country of Thailand is a wonderful place, with MANY diverse things to do. If you can't find what you want to do in Thailand, then it doesn't exist. As beautiful as Hawaii, and far more wild than Las Vegas (if you like that kind of thing).
There are many, many, many waterfalls, hiking trails, beaches, spas, yoga studios, plus nightlife and more. There is no way you can do it all in one week.
If I were you, I would avoid Bangkok, because it is almost exactly like Los Angeles, except Bangkok is more polluted, noisier, has more traffic and takes for ever to get anything done because of the gridlock. And while Thai people are very nice, the rudest Thai people you will meet live in Bangkok.
I would suggest that you focus on one area (either beaches, or mountains, or jungle treks) because it will take you at least a day to overcome your jet lag (probably two) and because it takes a long time to get from the beaches to the mountains to the jungles.
You might look into Koh Samui (an island in the Gulf of Thailand) or, even better, I would suggest you look into Phuket. Yes, Phuket was hit by the Tsunami last year, but only certain parts of certain beaches were damaged. Most of the island was unaffected. And by going to Phuket, you would be helping the locals rebuild their economy.
Koh Samui is more laid back and people go more for the beach, while Phuket has more attractions / activities, and nightlife.
Please don't think that Phuket is still underwater and that there is rampant disease. While some areas are still rebuilding and some beaches there have some sanitation problems, overwhelmingly it has recovered. And because people are a little weary, you should be able to find MANY hotels that are four star in quality near the beach for around $150 per night.
I am sorry that I don't have a specific hotel or exact beach to recommend for you.
But due keep in mind not to plan TOO MUCH because you will be there during the hottest time of year, and once you get on a beach, you will probably enjoy being there very much and it will be difficult to drag yourself away from the beach and get on a bus only to get stuck in traffic somewhere.
Don't pack too many belongings, as you will probably want to buy things there. Pack two days worth of cotton clothing that you can wash by hand in a bucket and hang dry (it will be dry in half an hour, even at night). If you plan to go to any temples, you must dress nicely, like a long skirt (well below the knees) and a shirt with (at least) short sleeves. You cannot visit a temple wearing shorts / mini skirts or tank tops / sleeveless shirts.
Enjoy your trip,
Ms. Jay
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