2 Weeks in Thailand: Bangkok, North, and South
Thailand was our fifth country in Southeast Asia, and by then we felt like old pros. We had just come from Thingyan in Myanmar, where we became accustomed to extreme heat, endless dust, adventuring through ancient temples, and getting sprayed by children with power hoses while trying to stay right-side up on our e-bikes, so we felt we could handle most things.
We spent a little over two weeks in Thailand, starting in Bangkok, then heading north to Chiang Mai and Pai, and then making a last-minute call to head down south to the beaches in Krabi, Railay Beach, Ko Lanta, and Koh Phi Phi.
When we went: Mid April (after Songkran). We experienced the new year / water festival in Myanmar, and arrived in Thailand in mid-late April after the festival there had ended. We got great, warm weather and only a few sporadic rains at night during our stay. Being shoulder season, a lot of the destinations outside Bangkok were less crowded than usual.
Use the table of contents below to jump around and dive into our Thailand itinerary!
GETTING TO & AROUND THAILAND
We flew directly into Bangkok from Mandalay. Compared to all the other legs of our trip, we were flying by the seat of our pants a bit in Thailand. We had our Bangkok to Chiang Mai leg planned, but originally we were planning on heading to Chiang Rai and maybe doing a trek. We kept our options open, and ended up heading from Chiang Mai to Pai, then south to explore some of the islands. Overall, it was extremely easy to book inter-country flights on the cheap even just one day in advance. Check out the map of our route below.
Our Thailand itinerary: Bangkok >> Chiang Mai >> Pai >> Krabi >> Railay Beach >> Ko Lanta >> Koh Phi Phi
WHERE TO STAY IN THAILAND
We stayed at a total mix of nice and not-so-nice places throughout Thailand, based on what was available during our last-minute bookings. We’ll list them all out along with — as always — totally honest reviews.
Bangkok
Bandara Suites Silom
75 Sala Daeng 1 Alley, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand | Booking.com
In the vastness of Bangkok, I’m really not sure how we decided what neighborhood to stay in, but it certainly involved a bunch of searching location ratings on Booking.com. We ended up in the Silom neighborhood which was pretty central and worked out well for everywhere we wanted to go. We stayed in a super nice suite for under $50 a night made use of the gym and pool while we were there as well. Great spot!
Chiang Mai
Lost in Chiang Mai Experience
5 Ratchamankha Rd. Soi 1, Phra Sing, Muang, Phra Sing, 50100 Chiang Mai, Thailand | Booking.com
This hostel / hotel is in a great location right in the heart of Chiang Mai and has excellent ratings on Booking, but definitely wasn’t one of our favorite places we stayed. Part of it was probably our room location (ground floor, right next to the pool) but we also felt we got weird vibes from the staff. Most of the reviewers seem to like it, so just putting this out there as our own experience. Again, great location, but having seen it we would choose somewhere else next time.
The pool at Lost in Chiang Mai Experience hostel
Pai
Slow Life Sabaidee Pai Bed and Breakfast
815 Moo.8 Viengtai T. Viengtai Pai Maehongson, 58130 Pai, Thailand | Booking.com
This place was slightly outside of town but had motorbikes available for rent so it was just a quick couple minute ride away. We just looked back on Booking.com and were surprised to see the photos of it looking like a poppin’ hostel. When we were there, we hardly saw another soul, which was just fine with us! Even have photos of night swimming in the pool all by ourselves. Overall, Slow Life Sabaidee had a very jungly and calming vibe — true to the name.
Nightswimming in Pai
Krabi
We spent one quick night in Krabi after flying down from Chiang Mai before heading over to Railay Beach. It was just a stopover and for the life of us we can’t even find the hostel we stayed at. We remember the staff being very helpful in terms of letting us know how to get to Railay Beach the next day and how much it should cost, but we don’t remember the hostel itself leaving a big impression.
Railay Beach
Railay Phutawan Resort
516 Moo 2,Aonang,Muang, Railay, Krabi, Thailand 81180 | Agoda
Okay y’all we should already be receiving affiliate checks from this resort because we’ve referred at least five people on IG who actually ended up staying there. And it all came from the photo below. A beautiful infinity pool surrounded by sky-high karsts and looking out towards the beach. This place featured gorgeous villas surrounding said infinity pool and was legit only $40 per night. Just one warning: as seen from the view, it’s clearly on a hill. It’s still very close to the main part of the island and no problem at all to walk up and down without luggage, but was quite a struggle with our huge backpacks in the heat when we first arrived from Krabi. Totally recommend staying here, just a heads up that you’ll have to put in a little extra legwork upfront to enjoy the views.
The photo that launched a thousand bookings
Ko Lanta
Sri Lanta Resort & Spa
111 Mu 6 Klongnin Beach Koh Lanta Thailand 81150 | Agoda
Our favorite place we stayed in Thailand! Rustic, beautiful villas, grassy palm-lined lawns, and a private beach for $30 a night! We’re tearing up at the fact that we could live in this gorgeous place for less than half the cost of rent back home. Visiting in shoulder season, there weren’t many guests there so we felt like we almost had the beach to ourselves at all times. We ate breakfast in the open-air restaurant every morning, played badminton on the lawn, and enjoyed some of the most beautiful sunsets we’ve ever seen. Take us back!
These sunsets were unreallllll
Ko Phi Phi
Paradise Pearl Bungalow
Phi Phi Island (Long beach), 138 Moo7, T.Ao-nang Koh Phi Phi Thailand 81210 | Agoda
Paradise Pearl has exceptional ratings and is located on a beautiful beach. However...we just couldn’t get the gorgeous villa and more local feel we came from in Ko Lanta out of our minds, so we couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. We also didn’t have a ton of options for accommodations since we booked last-minute, so we weren’t sure if we could have found something better. With that in mind, we probably aren’t in a position to give the most thorough review here — Paradise Pearl was a totally adequate spot to stay, we just missed Ko Lanta so much!
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK IN THAILAND
Bangkok
You really can’t go wrong with any market food or street food in Bangkok. It’s what the locals live on, and is most often of the highest quality and freshness. That said, we really didn’t do a ton of research on where we wanted to eat and drink in such a huge city, and ended up not loving a few of our choices. Read through them below so you can make better ones (like some of the famous street vendors we wish we had known about and researched)!
Taling Chan Floating Market
Thailand, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Bangkok, Chim phli Rd
So, we watched the Somebody Feed Phil episode about Bangkok before we went, and were drooling over the boat noodles, ice cream, etc. that he got at the floating market. We thought Taling Chan was the market he went to, but upon further inspection it appears we were wrong. Taling Chan seemed very small compared to what we were expecting. Even our Grab driver on the way there asked why we were going to that market. We got some doughnut thingies, a pork and rice dish, and some Thai tea there which were all great, but it just wasn’t what we thought it’d be. Turns out Phil went to Khlong Lat Mayom floating market, so if we went back we’d try that instead.
Vertigo Sky Bar
21/100 South, S Sathon Rd, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand | Website
It was the night before Ray’s birthday, and our last night before our friend Hector flew out of Bangkok, so we wanted to make it a big celebration. We decided to partake in one of the most basic Bangkok activities and hit up one of the city’s many sky bars at sunset. We chose Vertigo because it was the closest to our hotel.
Upon arrival, Ray was notified that he wasn’t dressed appropriately for the sky bar. He was wearing shorts and slides, but pants and close-toed shoes are required.
Luckily for him...they had a pair of pants and shoes available to borrow. Unluckily...he’s a size 30 waist and these were probably an XXL (Thailand’s concept of the average American), so he belted them as tightly as he could but was still swimming in these giant slacks that had been worn by who knows how many other dudes.
THE PANTS
Once we finally got up to the sky bar, we quickly realized that a beer was like $20 compared to $2 down on the street, and the bar was so crowded there wasn’t room to even stand and enjoy the sunset. We got one drink there and bounced — just enough time to snap a couple photos of the — truly spectacular — sunset view.
Worth it for the viewz.
Chinatown
We didn’t really do our research before venturing over to Bangkok’s Chinatown at lunchtime, and just ended up diving into a legit-looking restaurant which did not disappoint. We got crab noodle soup, shiu mai, and dumplings that were to die for. If we went back again, we’d check out a food guide like this amazing one from Where Goes Rose.
Shiu mai and dumplings all day.
Issaya Siamese Club
4 Soi Si Akson, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand | Website
This was another spot we learned about from Somebody Feed Phil, and Sam booked dinner there as a surprise for Ray’s birthday. The dining area is beautiful! We had a set menu with tons of different contemporary Thai dishes, followed by a piggy bank shaped birthday dessert that Ray got to break open with a little wooden mallet.
Dinner at Issaya Siamese Club
Chiang Mai
Cooking Love
18/7-8 Ratchadamnoen Road Sri Poom Rd, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
One of Ray’s high school friends was actually living and teaching in Chiang Mai when we visited, and she took us to this spot on our first night for dinner. Great little place for all the Thai classics, including our order of bomb Tom Yum noodle soup.
Zoe in Yellow
Ratvithi Rd, Si Phum Sub-district, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
We got the impression that this was one of “the” hangouts for expats, tourists and locals alike in Chiang Mai. We were there a bit early in the evening right after dinner, and sat in the outdoor biergarten-looking area for a couple beers. From all of the photos, it seems like it really turns up as a nightclub later on. Got our first real taste of much older expat men hanging out with young Thai women at this bar, which was new and entirely fascinating.
Taste from Heaven
34/1 Ratchamanka Rd, ตำบลพระสิงห์, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand | Website
Favorite place we ate in Chiang Mai! This is a vegetarian restaurant where we got spicy papaya salad, penang curry, ginger stir fry, mint limeade, and Thai tea with coconut milk. Every single thing was amazing!
Pai
Road-side Khao Soi
Khao soi is a soup made from hand-cut noodles, coconut milk, and curry served across Myanmar, Laos, and Northern Thailand. We tried so hard to go to the small khao soi joint Anthony Bourdain ate at in Chiang Mai, but upon trying several times we realized it had really random hours and was rarely open. By the time we got over to Pai, we stopped at the first roadside restaurant we could find offering khao soi so we could finally try it! Definitely a must in Northern Thailand.
Delicious khao soi
Witching Well
97 Moo 3 ,Vieng Tai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, 58130, Thailand | Website
We strayed from the typical Thai fare and had Italian food one night while in Pai, and we’re 98% sure this was the place. It was so amazing to enjoy a comfort meal of pasta and wine for a change!
Krabi
Night market
Night food markets are a major thing all throughout Asia, and we ate and drank plenty of food and booze at them in every Thai city we visited. Since a night market was one of the only places we ate in Krabi during our single night stay, this seemed like the best place to mention them.
Picture a mall food court...except outdoors, each meal costs just a couple dollars, it’s all unique and delicious, and oftentimes there’s karaoke / dance / other entertainment going on somewhere (karaoke in Krabi’s case).
We don’t remember what we ate at this particular night market because at some point, they all blend together — but they’re often one of the first things we explore and a good way to get to know a new city, or even to meet some other travelers or locals.
May and Mark’s House
34 Maharaj Road Soi 10 Paknam, Krabi, 81000, Thailand
This adorable bakery / cafe was right across the street from our hostel and served delicious breakfasts. Ray got roti with curry and Sam got a fresh veggie, bacon, and goat cheese omelette.
Railay Beach
Kohinoor Indian Restaurant & Pizza
354 / 2 Moo 2, Railay beach Ao Nang, Mueang Krabi District, Krabi 81180, Thailand
Normally, any restaurant that has both Indian and pizza in the name is bad news. But, every time we needed a break from south Asian food, we had really great luck with Indian restaurants throughout our travels — including at this place. Our expectations may have been altered by eating so many noodle and rice dishes in Asia that we welcomed any break from the norm, but we thought it was really good! Note: we tried the Indian. Cannot attest to the pizza quality.
Ko Lanta
Mama’s Nok Style Restaurant
132/1 Ko Lanta Yai, Ko Lanta District, Krabi, Thailand
In the shoulder season, this place was a tiny setup of two tables, basically in a woman’s home. Mama (or at least we assume she was the namesake Mama) was a super talkative, funny lady and made us feel so at home. She let us choose our level of spicy for the papaya salad, saying that one to two chilis was normal tourist level, and ten chilis is Thai level. We chose five chilis and had many regrets… We also got some amazing noodles and soup.
Infamously spicy Thai papaya salad
Greek Taverna
Klong Dao Beach Moo 3 HOUSE 231, Ko Lanta District, Krabi 81150, Thailand
A Greek restaurant on a Thai island is a little unexpected, but it had rave reviews so we were excited to try it out. This isn’t your little gyro stand either. It’s run by a Greek family and everything is to die for. We had amazing Greek-style iced coffee, gyros, fries, and more. We honestly wish we could get that meal all the time — it was so good!
Cook Kai
Sala Dan, Ko Lanta District, Krabi 81150, Thailand
A big Thai restaurant with all the menu classics. We got soups here — Thom Kha and seafood noodle soup — and both were bomb!
Koh Phi Phi
We honestly didn’t have any memorable meals in Koh Phi Phi to speak of 🤷
WHAT TO DO IN THAILAND
Bangkok
Rot Fai Train Night Market - Srinkarin
Soi Srinagarindra 51, Nong Bon, Prawet, Bangkok 10250, Thailand
We traveled like an hour in traffic to get to this market way out in East Bangkok on our first night on recommendation from a friend. There are plenty of night markets in Bangkok, each with its own specialty, but we’re so glad we took the time to hit this one. Rot Fai is known for all things vintage, especially vintage American — from furniture and classic cars to collectibles and clothing. We happened to enter on the vintage clothing side and you guys, we were blown away. Each tiny stall (out of seemingly hundreds) has better quality stuff than any vintage store in the U.S. And each item is priced at around $1 - $2 USD. Mind. Blown. We ended up finding a lot more cool guys’ clothes than women’s stuff. It may have just been the section we were in, but the guys bought like three shirts and two vintage hats each while I was too overwhelmed to even look for the women’s stuff.
Along with the clothes, Rot Fai kept us entertained for hours on end eating from the food stalls, browsing antiques, and finding hidden bars and DJ situations down tiny offshoots of the gigantic market.
Would LOVE to go back here more prepared...with an empty suitcase for vintage treasures. We went to a couple other weekend markets as well which were fun, but nothing compared to this one.
Hidden bars at the vintage market
Quick Longboat River Cruise
We hired a longboat to take us down the river from the Taling Chan floating market (see food section) to near Chinatown. Again, we were trying to copy the Somebody Feed Phil episode in which he took a longboat and sampled delicious delicacies along the river...but we were at the wrong market in the first place. The longboat from Taling Chan was still a fun and relaxing trip because you pass by the Grand Palace and several of the biggest temples...and can buy a Chang from riverboat vendors along the way.
Patpong Night Market and Red Light District
Patpong is one of a few different red light districts in Bangkok and was the closest one to where we were staying. We were super curious, so we decided to venture there and seek out a ping pong show for Ray’s birthday. Whew, was it a janky ass night. The story is just too good not to get its own post — read about our experience at a Thai ping pong show here.
Khao San Road
The notorious backpacker party street in central Bangkok, Khao San is everything it’s chalked up to be. We stopped here after we were already hammered from the Red Light district just to see what it was like. Basically ate a quick meal because we were already so drunk and left.
Wat Arun and Wat Pho
Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and the Grand Palace are super close to one another along the Chao Phraya River in central Bangkok. Although we were pretty templed-out after so much travel through Asia, we can honestly say that these, and many of Thailand’s temples, are such a visually striking and unique style that they feel like something totally new. Wat Arun is bright white with beautiful floral, almost Spanish-looking mosaic tiling, and Wat Pho features similar tiling but in all different bright colors. These beautiful temples are pretty quick to see so we definitely recommend a stop while you’re in Bangkok. While we saw the Grand Palace from the outside, we didn’t choose to take a closer visit.
Wat Arun
Wat Pho
Movie Night
On Ray’s actual bday (as in, not the night we went to the ping pong show), I treated him to a nice dinner at Issaya Siamese Club, and then we actually went to a full-on theater in a mall and saw a movie! We really only did this because at that point, we’d been traveling for two months and were craving some semblance of normalcy. Plus, A Quiet Place had just come out and we really wanted to see it!
This experience is worth mentioning because in Thai theaters, the royal anthem is played before every movie showing, and the whole audience stands up to honor the king as images of him throughout his entire life are flashed across the screen.
So really, we can feel like we were having a culturally-interesting experience even though we were really just craving a movie night.
Chiang Mai
Wat Chedi Luang
Downtown Chiang Mai is filled with temples so you could spend a while temple-hopping. However, as mentioned, we were a little templed-out at this point and Wat Chedi Luang is one of the only nearby ones we chose to visit. Very different style from the two we visited in Bangkok and very cool, though we don’t know exactly how it compares to the others in Chiang Mai.
Wat Chedi Luang
Motorbike Ride to Doi Suthep, Bhubing Palace, Hmong Village
One of the big activities to do near Chiang Mai is to rent a scooter and ride up the small mountain just outside of town, stopping at several attractions along the way up to Doi Suthep temple. The first thing we spotted on our way up was a temple and monastery near a waterfall. It had beautiful gardens, and no one else in sight. Honestly, that first quick stop was one of our favorites.
On the rest of the ride, we stopped at several nice viewpoints (though it was too hazy to see much), Doi Suthep itself (a large temple with many stairs to get up to the top), Bhubing Palace (which was mainly just a lot of gardens), and we even went all the way to the Hmong village (which wasn’t very traditional and was mostly just shops).
Although I’m always pretty terrified to be on the back of a motorbike, it was a pretty nice and relaxed ride once you get out of the city.
Warning: We did get stopped at a police checkpoint on our way out of the city and had to pay 500 baht (about $15) since we didn’t have an international license. Honestly, not getting an international license is usually worth the risk of minor traffic stops like this, unless you plan to ride past the same checkpoint for multiple days and be forced to pay again and again. You can usually consult with people at your hostel to check for routes out of the city that don’t have checkpoints set up, but this is the only one we’ve ever gotten stopped at throughout our travels. That said, we don’t take motorbikes that much — only in places where it’s the only practical way to get around, or to take a more rural ride.
Didn’t even know this monastery was going to be a stop along the drive, and it ended up being the most beautiful part.
Night Bazaar
As mentioned, there are multiple night markets in almost every Asian city, but Chiang Mai has a pretty good one! Lots of shopping, food, live music, and drinking options!
Ram Bar Ladyboy Cabaret
One of our *FAVORITE* things in Chiang Mai. This “ladyboy cabaret” show was recommended by Ray’s friend living in Chiang Mai as one of her favorite things to do on a fun night with friends. It takes place in a pretty small bar, so we went early enough to snag a table by the stage and grab some drinks. There’s no cover for the show, so we honestly weren’t expecting much. We were BLOWN AWAY y’all. The production level (dancing + full hair, makeup and costumes) is out of this world for a free show, and it’s like 2 hours long of pure entertainment! Songs from Christina Aguilera to Marilyn Monroe — all the cabaret classics. The only part that was *hilariously* bad was the lip syncing — you could 100% tell they had no idea what the songs were saying and potentially didn’t speak English at all, but they were going full out mouthing made-up words with pure confidence. Such a fun night.
See our IG for the videos. Absolutely spectacular.
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
So, interacting with elephants in Thailand can be complicated. I won’t pretend to know whether or not elephants are truly harmed by humans riding them. Some sources claim that elephants were never made to be ridden and that it causes permanent damange, and others claim that certain cultures have been riding elephants for centuries, developing a special bond with the creatures that doesn’t physically harm them in any way.
Regardless of which opinion is right, over the past years most of the elephant sanctuaries have made a dramatic shift away from offering elephant rides. It’s now simply a marketing tactic for a lot of these places to claim that they’re more ethical simply because they don’t allow elephant rides, even though they did as recently as a few years ago. Now it’s common for visitors to “bathe” and feed the elephants, and honestly it’s pretty unknown whether being bathed by multiple groups of tourists per day is something these elephants enjoy either. Hence why it’s complicated to know if you’re ever truly doing the right thing by interacting with wild animals.
One of many reasons we got a bad vibe from our hostel was because they recommended an elephant sanctuary that did offer riding. But again, we don’t know what’s truly right. We were looking to visit an elephant sanctuary that didn’t involve riding, but also wasn’t the priciest option out there.
After we ignored our hostel’s advice and did our own extensive research, Elephant Jungle Sanctuary seemed like truly the best option for us.
We did a half-day trip, leaving early in the morning and taking a bumpy songthaew ride about an hour to the sanctuary with a group of 7 other peeps. We then learned about the elephants, spent time feeding and bathing with them, and had lunch before driving back to town. A half day was the perfect amount of time! I think the full day trips also include a hike, but we felt like we wouldn’t have needed to spend any additional time there, as magical as it was playing with the elephants.
Playing with elephantes
Pai
Pai Canyon
We arrived in Pai in the afternoon after a 3-hour van ride from Chiang Mai, all doped up on dramamine which we took as a precaution because we heard the ride was bumpy and windy. After relaxing at our hotel for a bit, the first thing we did was to rent a motorbike and head to Pai Canyon, just outside of town. The red, rocky landscape at Pai Canyon looks really different from anything you’d expect to see in SE Asia, more similar to what we’re used to in Colorado! It’s a cool area, with lots of ridges and viewpoints you can walk out to and enjoy sunset.
Yun Lai Viewpoint
We originally intended to ride our motorbike to Lod Cave about an hour outside of Pai, but we chose to spend some time relaxing and planning other legs of our trip instead. Since we didn’t have time, we chose some lesser-visited locations closer to the city, including Yun Lai Viewpoint.
Visiting during shoulder season, there was no one else at Yun Lai when we arrived. It’s essentially a teahouse with a view out over the surrounding valleys and Chinese villages. A nice ride, and somewhat random yet relaxing stop.
The very random yet peaceful Yun Lai viewpoint.
Bamboo Mini Golf
Another very random tourist attraction in Pai where we were the sole visitors at the time. Essentially this adorable family (Thai mom, Scottish dad, and son) created a makeshift putt-putt golf course in their backyard and it’s become a thing to do in Pai. You play with bamboo sticks and tennis balls. The super cute son (who had a Scottish accent!) gave us a lesson on how to play, and then we hung out with the also super cute mom and purchased beer and hibiscus iced tea from her — they have a whole restaurant situation going on too. Honestly these attractions were probably even more cute because we were the only ones there, but we loved them!
Railay Beach
Railay Viewpoint Hike
This hike involves scaling up muddy rocks with the aid of muddy ropes, but is worth it to get a view of the two Railay beaches from above. Plus it’s an adventure! Our hands and knees were totally stained by mud afterwards, and our shoes would never be the same.
We also did another hike directly up from the main beach, but I’m not sure what it was called and it wasn’t very well marked. The view was awesome, but we got a bit lost on the way down.
The view.
The mud & the ropes
Kayak to Phra Nang Beach
We rented a kayak from Railay Beach and went over to the nearby Phra Nang beach, famous for its penis cave. Yes, a small cave, filled to the brim with wooden penises of all sizes. These wooden dicks are actually very common fertility symbols (go figure) throughout SE Asia, and we actually saw people kneeling in front of the cock-cave in prayer.
This beach was pretty crowded, but a the whole area is beautiful and it was nice to get out on the water near all of the cool karsts and caves.
Kayaking over to Phra Nang
Ray worshipping at the cave of cocks
Ko Lanta
Volunteering at Lanta Animal Welfare
Lanta Animal Welfare’s mission is something we believe so strongly in. Like many parts of the world, lots of cities in Southeast Asia are filled with stray dogs and cats, sometimes struggling to get by, and continuing to breed without control. Lanta Animal Welfare has made it their mission to spay and neuter the animals of Ko Lanta and surrounding islands, to provide medical care for animals in need, and to facilitate adoptions.
We arrived at the Animal Welfare center in the morning before having even eaten breakfast, expecting to spend a pretty short amount of time there. Turns out they needed help walking and socializing a couple puppies which we gladly volunteered to do, and they ended up leading us on a pretty lengthy walk with the pups. Then we took a tour and hung out with the kitties in the cat room.
Honestly, it was sad seeing all these pups and cats who needed homes — we fell in love with one of the little kitties who loved Ray — but we were so happy we went, helped out, and learned about the wonderful things they were doing so we can help spread the word.
If you visit Ko Lanta, please consider paying these guys a visit and seeing how you can help!
This little kitty loved Ray — we wish so badly we could have taken her home!
Jungle waterfall hike
After volunteering with the pups and then eating lunch at the delicious Greek Taverna, we rode our motorbike south on the island and did a quick hike to a waterfall. I think it was Khlong Chak Waterfall, which was actually more of a trickle at that time of year. The best part was just riding past beautiful beaches and exploring a new part of the island.
Koh Rok Snorkeling Trip
Through our hotel, we booked a full day snorkeling trip to a nearby island called Koh Rok, known for some of the best snorkeling in the Andaman Sea. It was probably the best we’ve ever done together too! Crystal clear water, calm ocean, and tons of sea life. We hit three different snorkeling spots and had lunch + some hangout time on a beautiful white sand beach. Super glad we did this outing!
Crystal clear waters at Koh Rok
Koh Phi Phi
Viewpoint Hike
We were only in Koh Phi Phi for one full day, so we decided not to do any of the popular day trips because we wanted to see the island itself. This might be the reason Koh Phi Phi wasn’t our favorite. The island itself, though beautiful, is very touristy. Besides beaching around, one of the main things to do on Koh Phi Phi is to hike up to one of a few viewpoints. I wasn’t feeling up to it, so Ray did it himself while I chilled on the beach. He described it as “A shit-load of stairs and really effin hot, but nice views.”
Our hotel was on a gorgeous beach that wasn’t too crowded, so our favorite part of Koh Phi Phi was the beautiful ocean view.
Our beach on Koh Phi Phi
THAILAND TIPS & TRICKS
Our only real tip here is that at the time we visited, it was very to book cheap flights no more than a day in advance to travel throughout Thailand. Because we loved the less-crowded Ko Lanta and didn’t like the more party-centric Koh Phi Phi as much, we’d recommend looking slightly off the beaten path when you’re deciding which Thai beaches and islands to visit. We’re sure there are so many more beautiful ones that we would have loved and didn’t get a chance to visit.
Questions? Thailand experiences of your own? Comment here or on our latest IG post.
Happy travels!
