PHUKET - Beaches, Boats, and Beers.
I land in Phuket at 11AM - later than expected - and I am in a race to get to the hotel
to make my Elephant Sanctuary excursion at 1PM.
FYI: I exchanged USD to Baht at the Airport. Also, Uber is not available in Thailand but they do have Grab which is the same concept, and works great. There are even multiple discounts for new customers, check the offers tab.
DAY 1
I was staying by Patong Beach, at Hotel Clover Patong, which is about 1 hour from the Airport. I arrive around 12:30PM, check-in, put my bags in my room, and I get a call, 2 minutes later, that my AirBnb Elephant experience (~$37 USD) is here to pick me up. I change - bug spray, sun tan lotion, and I am in the van!
After about 45 minutes we arrive at Bukit Elephant Park. They have Thai Tea for us as they explain the day. We learn all about the elephants, where they have been saved from, their ages, the sanctuary, and we get to feed them bananas!
Definitely recommend this very special, unique experience! There are quite a few different Elephant Sanctuary's both in Phuket and Chiang Mai.
I get back to my hotel around 6PM and get ready for dinner and to explore the city. A few streets away is Patong Beach Bangla Walking Street - this street is crazy. There's bars, clubs, restaurants, music, a ton of people walking, street vendors - a lot going on. It's like a mini Vegas strip by the beach - a Vegas meets Mexico vibe. I check it out, then I walk along the main street by the beach and find this cute restaurant, Tropica, facing the ocean. My first Thai meal and it was amazing! I got a sampler, so had a little bit of everything. BTW - Drink, meal, and dessert - All for about $20 USD.
Of course, on my way back I had to get a Thai Massage. 1 hour for 250 Baht (~8USD) -crazy! I have an early morning, so I walk the beach, and head back for bed. PS. Unlike Australia - everything stays open late - yay!
DAY 2
Today I have the Phi Phi Island tour ($62 USD)- I also booked this through AirBnB - better deals and more personalized experiences. They pick me up at my hotel around 8:30AM and take us to a dock with other groups and outline the day ahead.
In this tour you get to see a lot - Phi Phi Don, Monkey Beach, Snorkeling at Tonsai Bay, Maya Bay and Khai Island, to name a few. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. It was gorgeous. The water is just breathtaking! My favorite parts were swimming in the blue lagoon surrounded by the caves, and having lunch right on the beach - I even took a dip in the ocean during.
This is a must do! It ended around 6:30PM and I met another solo traveler in the morning who was doing a different tour (James Bond Tour) - but staying right by me. We met up for dinner, and explored for a bit - but both too tired from the day to go out.
DAY 3
My last full day - a full relaxing beach day. First I check out Patong beach which was just a 5 minute walk from the hotel. This beach is nice...
But then I found Freedom Beach (with the help of a local) which is STUNNING. I took a Grab here, ~10 minutes away, and cost $5 USD. The beach costs 100 Baht to enter, which is totally worth it, and is about a 10 minute walk down to get to the beach.
I ended my day back at the hotel rooftop pool, where I ordered some drinks & shrimp pad thai (so good!), and watched the sunset. I had a late night flight, so I had the hotel arrange a cab, ~700-800 Baht (~$20 USD) is typical and went to the airport to head to Chiang Mai! (All flights within Thailand I used AirAsia and had no issues)
Accommodation
-Stay 3 nights in a King Room; I paid $228 (Booked Direct).
-The Hotel Room is really nice and the biggest selling point for me was the amazing rooftop pool with gorgeous views. Food & drinks are great, as well as the service.
-Location is perfect! Right by Patong beach, lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars within 5 minute walk. Also all my excursions were able to pick me up directly from the hotel.
Would I go back? 100% I loved Phuket. It is drop dead gorgeous. I wish I had another day or two just to explore more of the beaches and surrounding islands.
CHIANG MAI - Wat's, Waterfalls, and lots of Walking.
I arrive to my hotel late (only 15 minutes from Airport), U Chiang Mai, check-in and head to bed! Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand and is most famous for its beautiful ancient temples.
DAY 1
Even though I don't want to leave the gorgeous hotel, I go check out the neighborhood around, and I stumble upon a number of Wat's (temples). They are beautiful and no lie, they are everywhere. No matter where you stay, within a few minute walk you will see them. Here are just a few within a 15/20 minute walk:
To my surprise, it was a holiday, so nowhere sold alcohol, not even 7/11 or the hotel bar (also on normal days during certain hours alcohol is not sold)...at least I had a few in my hotel fridge. I got ready for Aromdii Thai cooking class & Market tour (AirBnb) & they picked me up at my hotel. I really don't like to cook, but this is typically on the itinerary when you visit Thailand and I'm happy I did it.
You let them know your choices of what you would like to cook before. My menu was: Spring Rolls, Tom Yum Soup, Green Curry, Chicken Pad Thai, and Mango Sticky Rice - yes it's a lot of food - don't eat before. We started at the Market where we learned about Thai veggies, spices and herbs (there's a lot used in all dishes) and buy all the produce we will be using to cook.
After, we headed to the outdoor kitchen school and we start cooking. We cooked one thing at a time over the course of about 4 hours. It was super good, met some really cool people from all around the world, and was definitely full and tired once I got dropped back at my hotel. All of this for $24 USD.
I was dropped off at my hotel around 8PM, but I wasn't done for the day. About a 20 minute walk away, there was the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. I went to check it out - I think it's probably true, once you've seen one night market, you've seen them all. This one did not disappoint with loads of food options - I did get sushi, a watermelon shake, and a bakery pound cake. Also - everything is so inexpensive (cash only). I was so full, I needed to get to bed.
DAY 2
I was picked up around 7:30am for my AirBnb experience "Chiang Mai Wonderful Day Trip by Local Guide" ($44 USD includes lunch).
We went to see the Wat Doi Suthep (the landmark of Chiang Mai), Wat Pha Lat (the hidden place & meditation retreat in the lush green forest)....
The Bua Tong Sticky Waterfalls (my favorite! - you can climb this waterfall since their is calcium in the rocks - check my insta for videos), and Wat Ban Den (the gorgeous architecture arts - my second favorite!). This was a full beautiful day hosted by Mongkol - he is such a sweet guy and you learn a lot about the sights that you are taken too as well as the culture in Thailand. My group was only 4 people and a few of these sights are over an hour away - so it is a great value as well.
