Phuket

When we arrived to Phuket, we were amazed by the amount of tourist in the airport. We didn’t realize how popular it would be, but as we drove to our hotel, we saw just how lively the night life is and quickly learned why it is so popular. We started off our first day at the Big Buddha which was super stunning and had an amazing view of Phuket, then we went to old town, which had the cutest, colorful buildings. We ate at the hogs head which is a Harry Potter themed restaurant that was so delicious. The weather did not hold out for us the following days so we sat at the pool until the rain and storms came, luckily it cleared up just enough so we could visit the popular Bangla Road that’s lined with clubs, shops, and restaurants, all opened super late. It was so much fun, I wish we would have had another night here since we missed a day to storms. Definitely worth a visit if you are going to Thailand!

Krabi

A small beach town that is a ferry ride away from Phuket, Krabi is a diamond in the rough, I think. We were not here for long, so we had to pack in everything we wanted to see, starting with Railay Beach, a secluded beach that’s only reachable by boat. We wanted to watch the sunset from this beach, so we headed out there on a longtail boat around 5 PM. It was so beautiful and so cool that it was surrounded by huge mountains. We ate dinner at two places (I was craving sushi and Mark isn’t a fan), but we ended up meeting a couple of people and got to talking for a while. Then we realized that we had to take a boat back to our beach. When we made it to the beach, there were only a couple of boats left, and one was taken. Since we were among the last people left, we ended up paying a lot for the last boat to take us back, but we did make it, luckily!

The next day, we set off on an island tour that took us to many of the surrounding islands to swim, snorkel, and explore. Our favorite had to be Maya Bay, with the prettiest blue water you will ever see! We ended the night at a Muay Thai boxing match, where we watched authentic Muay Thai fighting and even got to see a KO during the last fight of the night! The next day, we went to the beach and relaxed after running around so much. While it was relaxing, I will add that there are so many jellyfish on the beach and in the water, so make sure you watch where you step! To end our stay in Krabi, we headed to dinner on the beach at Reeve and were pleasantly surprised by getting to see one of the best fire shows we have ever seen!

Koh Samui

A more secluded island off of Thailand, Koh Samui is a beautiful, beachy, party town. We stayed in the middle of a busy area, so everything was super close. We went shopping at a mall, walked to the beach, and prepared ourselves for one of the most famous parties thrown in Thailand. We took a ferry to an even smaller island to attend the Full Moon Party, which is just a huge party on the beach lined with bars and DJs playing until the early morning hours. We only stayed on this island for the night to go to the party, but the villa we stayed at was so beautiful, and we were upset we didn’t stay there longer.

We went out pretty early in the night and stopped by a bar right outside the party. This bar, called M Bar, was so much fun. From the moment we got there, everyone was super friendly, and the bar gave out free shots. After hanging out for a while, they announced a competition for the best body paint, and the winner would get a free bucket of whatever alcohol they wanted. As soon as they said that, I told Mark I wanted to win and went to the paint booth and painted up my leg. I did end up winning, and it’s a memory I won’t forget! We headed to the beach after that and had such a great time. We walked up and down to make sure we saw everything, and even though it was the off-season, there were tons of people. Everyone was dancing the night away; it made for the best party we had on our trip!

Chiang Mai

Located in the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai is much cooler than everywhere else we had been. We took advantage of these days by lounging at the pool, walking everywhere to explore, and spending lots of time outside. Chiang Mai became my favorite place in Thailand, with its perfect mix of nature and city. It had a little bit of everything that we love.

We spent a day on a trip to the jungle where we bamboo rafted down a river and then stopped at an elephant sanctuary, which I talk more about in my blog post. It was amazing to watch these huge elephants in their everyday life, and to see them being taken care of to prevent extinction. It was my favorite part of our trip here; I never thought I would be able to bathe an elephant in my life!

After long days of exploring, we went out one night and bar hopped, ending up at one of the coolest bars. It was two buildings that were part of the same place, so you could hang out outside or go into either building depending on what music you wanted to hear. I absolutely loved Chiang Mai and I hope to visit again someday!

Bangkok

Bangkok was completely different from every other city we had been to in Thailand. Think big city with huge skyscrapers, advanced infrastructure, and of course, the worst traffic imaginable. It was fascinating to see the diversity here in Bangkok. We went shopping at HUGE malls, some with six stories, and ate at some nice restaurants. We also went a little outside the city to see a temple that has a dragon wrapped around it, and we ended up spending two hours in the Uber on the way back because of the horrible traffic.

Back in Bangkok, there are also a few newer temples that will blow your mind with their beauty. We went to eat dinner one night across the river from Wat Arun temple, and it was so beautiful lit up at night. We went into the temple the next day to see its amazing colors. That same day, we tried to visit the Grand Palace, but we found out that it closed at 3:30 PM and Mark had to wear long pants, so we missed going in. Overall, Bangkok was super nice, but I would definitely recommend taking the train to save time on transportation. However, since this city is so big, you can pretty much walk to everything you need!