Elaine's Trip to Thailand

By Elaine McManus

Elaines Trip To Thailand

I recently travelled to Thailand, flying from Dublin to Bangkok via Dubai with Emirates, and then on to Chiang Mai with Bangkok Airways, Koh Samet Island by boat, and then back to Bangkok. We managed to fit in so much of the country and stayed in several different hotels and resorts that really captured that magic of Thailand.

 

Location

We spent our first night in the 5 star Berkeley Hotel in Bangkok, just a ten-minute walk from the massive Central World Plaza shopping centre which is the 11th largest in the world! This was a large hotel with a gorgeous pool great for relaxing after a day’s shopping and sightseeing. We then moved on to Chiang Mai where we stayed in the beautiful Siripanna Village Resort for two nights, where we loved relaxing by the pool and eating great food. Our next stop was the Sai Kaew Beach Resort on Koh Samet Island in the east of the country, set right next to the stunning blue sea. Finally, we flew back to Bangkok and spent the night in the famous Lebua hotel, where the movie The Hangover 2 was filmed.

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What I Loved

This was a fantastic trip, and I found the people to be really friendly. My favourite part of the holiday was relaxing next to the stunning beaches and pools, especially the beach on Koh Samet island, which was so blue and warm. I also loved the shopping opportunities that the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai presented, as this Bazaar is known for its handcrafts and paintings and was really enjoyable to stroll around.


Activities & Places to See

  • We visited some of the hundreds of temples in Chiang Mai, which were really interesting and had lot of history to them.
  • The Elephant Nature Park, located only one hour from Chiang Mai, is well worth a visit. You can play with elephants within the sanctuary, and the elephants are very well treated in comparison to other sanctuaries.
  • Koh Samet Island is great for watersports like jet-skiing and wakeboarding, which you can rent at the main beaches.


Shopping

There were fantastic shopping opportunities at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai, where there are lots of beautiful paintings and handicrafts on sale. There are also many places to shop in Bangkok; just be sure to haggle the price down as this is very common!

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Food & Bars

Thailand is famous for its great variety of street food, such as noodles and different types of curries. We weren’t at all stuck for places to eat, especially in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, where there’s good food to be found on nearly every street. For nightlife, Bangkok couldn’t be beaten for bars and clubs, and drinks are really cheap.


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