Thailand Holiday Review
Submitted by: Claire T. - Wakefield
Date: October 2002
Thailand is by far my favourite holiday destination. There is something for everyone depending on which area you intend to visit. I was lucky enough to visit 4 different regions, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Phi Phi Island. I would certainly recommend doing a multi-centre itinerary to get the most out of your holiday as each place I went to was very different to the next.
We flew out on the 16th of October on direct flights with Thai Airways. The aircraft was comfortable and the cabin crew were very friendly.
We stayed in Bangkok at the Century Park hotel for 5 nights. The hotel was of a very good standard, very spacious bedrooms with air conditioning and my favourite feature, a very large walk in shower!
Bangkok itself is very busy, noisy and smelly although it is immaculately clean. Don't be put off, it is well worth visiting if only to see the Grand Palace and other temples which are simply breathtaking. It is worth noting that if you intend to visit the palace or any temples you cannot show your bare shoulders or legs and must cover up with suitable clothing.
There are some very fashionable shopping centres and plenty of places to eat out at reasonable prices. I would strongly recommend trying out the cheap public transport, namely tuk tuks, for a good giggle although they are not for the faint hearted!
I personally thought that 5 nights was too long to spend in such a busy city although I am definitely glad I went. It showed me a different way of life and was quite a culture shock at first!
Next we went north to Chaing Mai and I completely fell in love with this place. Northern Thailand is such a huge contrast to Bangkok as the pace of life is slower and it is so much greener. We stayed at the Royal Princess hotel, which was being renovated at the time. I found the rooms to be spacious but a little dark and dingy although the location of the hotel could not have been more central. The famous night market is great for bargains; I bought all sorts of handmade goods including lamps, Thai silk skirts and Kimonos. By the time I left I was an expert at bartering! You do have to barter as they set the starting price rather high and you can usually get it down to about half the original asking price. You will find the Thai people incredibly friendly and they are used to people trying to knock the price down so don't be embarrassed!
The restaurants are of very high quality and are very cheap. There's even 1 British pub and a very cheap Macdonalds!
The highlight of my stay in Chaing Mai was when we did a jungle trek. This involved riding on an elephants back through the jungle until we reached a traditional hilltribe village. Afterwards we had a lovely traditional meal at the elephant reserve and then enjoyed a gentle river raft ride. The raft was made of bamboo and we just relaxed and took in the fabulous jungle scenery. It was a fantastic experience although I wasn't keen on the huge spider I saw in the jungle!
We also went to Chaing Mai zoo. I was a little concerned that I was going to see poor conditions for the animals but I'm pleased to say this wasn't the case. They had a huge variety of animals and you could get very close to them, you could put food in the monkey's hands. We spent 4 nights in Chaing Mai and looking back I wish we had spent more time there and less time in Bangkok.
Next we went south to Phuket and stayed at a fantastic hotel, the Phuket Arcadia. We had a very large sea view room and the view really was beautiful. We stayed there for 7 nights and enjoyed a stunning sunset every single night. Very romantic.
Phuket has a lovely long sandy beach and has lots of bars and restaurants. The resort is split into 2 main areas - Karon beach which is very peaceful with a nice selection of bars and restaurants, and the other area Patong which is much more lively and commercialised. I was happy to stay on Karon beach and go into Patong on an evening - a short Tuk Tuk ride away.
From Phuket we visited the famous Phang Nga Island where the James Bond film was filmed, and apart from that we just relaxed.
We went to the same bar most evenings where all the staff befriended us and played connect four and jenga with us and kept bringing us fresh pineapple! It was sad to say goodbye as they had made us feel so welcome.
Finally we went to Phi Phi Island, which is a pleasant boat journey from Phuket. We only stayed here 2 nights, as there is literally nothing at all to do apart from sunbathe, snorkel and generally relax!
We pulled up to shore and had to wade from the sea onto the beach. I felt like I'd been shipwrecked onto a beautiful remote island and it was a wonderful feeling! We stayed at the Holiday Inn Phi Phi, also known as Phi Phi Palm beach, which is the only hotel on the island. The accommodation was basic compared to the other hotels we had stayed in although it was very comfortable. The hotel comprised of low rise bungalows set in a lush tropical backdrop right on the beach. The hotels bars closed fairly early and so we just went for a relaxing walk in the evening. I would say Phi Phi Island is an idyllic getaway for sun worshippers and is a lovely escape if you need to relax.
The weather was incredibly hot the whole time we were there. We did experience quite a lot of rain, particularly in Chaing Mai and Phuket although it did not affect our enjoyment. We found that it would absolutely pour down for around 2 to 3 hours on a morning but by the afternoon you would never have guessed it had been raining. Not bad to say we went in what is still classed as the rainy season. The rain was actually quite a relief from the heat and a couple of times we stood out in it to cool down!
To sum up Thailand as best I can in such a few words I would say it is incredibly diversified, the people make you feel like V.I.P's and are very very friendly. It's very cheap to eat, drink and shop although I would recommend you do your gift shopping in Bangkok or Chaing Mai as we found the prices to be cheaper in these resorts. The accommodation is generally of a very high standard, the lowest rated hotel we stayed in was a 3 star in Bangkok and I was more than happy with the quality.
I would recommend Thailand to everyone - couples, families and singles. I would go back tomorrow if I could!
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